Mohammad Sadiq Kabudvand
Kurdish journalist Mohammad Sadiq Kabudvand received an 11-year prison sentence on 22 June 2008 on charges of "acting against national security" for his Kurdish rights activism. PEN remains seriously concerned for his health, following reports that he suffered two strokes during 2010 and has been denied access to adequate medical care. PEN is calling for the immediate and unconditional release of Mohammad Sadiq Kabudvand in accordance with Article 19 of the United Nations International Covenant of Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR), to which Iran is a signatory. We seek assurances of his well-being, guarantees that his basic rights are being respected and that he is being given full access to all necessary medical care as a matter of urgency.
According to PEN's information, Mohammad Sadiq Kabudvand, editor of the banned weekly Payam-e mardom-e Kurdestan, was arrested on 1 July 2007 at his place of work in Tehran by plain-clothed security officers. Kabudvand was taken to his house in Tehran, where security officers confiscated three computers, books, photographs and personal documents, before being transported to the Intelligence Ministry's Section 209 of Evin Prison, where he is said to have been ill-treated. He spent the first five months of his detention in solitary confinement, and his family was unable to raise the bail that could have enabled him to be freed pending trial. Kabudvand's trial began on 25 May 2008, and he was sentenced at a closed trial on 22 June 2008 to eleven years in prison by the Tehran Revolutionary Court for forming a human rights organisation in Iran's Kurdish region.
Reports suggest that Kabudvand has serious health problems, including kidney and prostate conditions, and that he suffered two strokes in 2010.
Kabudvand has reportedly written two books on democracy and a third on the women's movement in Iran, which were not given publishing licences. Mohammad Sadiq Kabudvand is also chair of the Kurdish Human Rights Organization (RMMK), based in Tehran. In 2010, his family nominated him for the 2011 Nobel Peace Prize. Kabudvand was also nominated by the Association for Human Rights in Kurdistan of Iran – Geneva (KMMK-G) for the 2011 Martin Ennals Award for Human Rights Defenders, commonly known as the Nobel Prize for human rights.
In 2011 the international human rights organisation Amnesty International hosted a global letter-writing marathon for Mohammad Sadiq Kabudvand, calling for his release and medical care. As part of this campaign, fellow Kurdish human rights activist and journalist, Saman Rasoulpour, released a video message of support for Kabudvand (link to video on YouTube).
TAKE ACTION
Please sign the petition calling for Mohammad Sadiq Kabudvand’s release.
Please send appeals:
- calling for the immediate and unconditional release of Mohammad Sadiq Kabudvand, in accordance with Article 19 of the United Nations International Covenant of Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR), to which Iran is a signatory; and
- asking for assurances that Mohammad Sadiq Kabudvand is being provided with whatever medical treatment he requires to regain his health.
Send your message to:
Ayatollah Sadegh Larijani (appropriate salutation is “Your Excellency”)
Office of the Head of the Judiciary
Pasteur St., Vali Asr Ave. south of Serah-e Jomhouri
Tehran 1316814737, Islamic Republic of Iran
Email: info “at” dadiran.ir (In the subject line, write “For attention of Ayatollah Larijani”)
Sydney PEN recommends that supporters copy their appeal to the Iranian Embassy in Australia, asking them to forward it and welcoming any comments:
His Excellency Dr Mahmoud BABAEI
Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary
Embassy of the Islamic Republic of Iran
25 Culgoa Circuit
O'Malley ACT 2606
Tel: (02) 6290 2430
Fax: (02) 6290 2825
Email: amb.office “at” iranembassy.org.au
FURTHER INFORMATION
Democratic Party of Iranian Kurdistan: "PDKI supports Mohamad Sadiq Kabudvand’s candidacy for Nobel Peace Prize 2011", 31 December 2010
Amnesty International: "IRAN: Request medical care and release for journalist", 2011
Association of Human Rights in Kurdistan of Iran-Geneva (KMMK-G): "Nomination of Mr. Mohammad Sadiq KABUDVAND to the Martin Ennals Award 2011", November 2010
PEN International: "IRAN: Mohammad Sadiq Kabudvand”, 15 November 2008