A Report about Mohmmad Seddigh Kaboodvand’s Latest Status

HRANA News Agency – Mohammad Seddigh Kaboodvand, journalist and human rights activist, despite enduring seven and a half years imprisonment, has to spend 3 more years in prison. Mr. Kaboodvand is being held in prison, just because of his human rights activities.

According to the report of Human Rights Activists News Agency in Iran (HRANA), Mohammad Seddigh Kaboodvand, founder of Kurdistan’s Human Rights Organization, was arrested on 1st July 2007 and after the trial, he was sentenced to 10 and a half years imprisonment. He has passed 7and a half years of his sentence. Mohammad Seddigh Kaboodvand has been affected by kidney infection, severe decrease in blood glucose levels and extreme physical weakness in prison, but according to what his relatives say, he is now in better physical condition.

One of his relatives told HRANA’s reporter, “Recently, Mr Kaboodvand’s family has two times requested leave permission for him but the prison authorities have refused their request, however we hope the authority give him leave permission for Norooz (Iranian New Year’s day).”

This source also added, “There is 2 years and 10 months left of this Human Rights activist’s sentence.”

Mohammad Seddigh Kaboodvand was tried in the Revolutionary Court in Tehran with charges of acting against national security through founding and managing Kurdistan’s Human Rights organization, and was sentenced to 10 years imprisonment and for propaganda against the Islamic regime through connection and communication with international Human Rights organizations and relationship and direct correspondence with Kofi Annan, UN Secretary General and communications with the media to one year in prison, therefor he has been sentenced to a total of eleven years imprisonment. However, the 10 years sentence because of founding human rights organization was confirmed by branch 56 of appeal Court of Tehran County.

He was sentenced to 1 year imprisonment and 5 years ban from journalism, publication and media management and annulment of “Payam e Mardom” publication, by the Revolutionary Court and Public Court in Sanandaj, regarding his journalism activities; inciting the public through publicizing articles in “Payam e Mardom”. However, this sentence after being upheld by appeal Court of Tehran County was reduced to 6 month imprisonment by Supreme Court.

There is another case related to publishing a booklet about women and violation of their rights in Iran, which has been opened in Revolutionary Court in Western Azerbaijan that is still in interrogation and investigation process.

So, Mohammad Seddigh Kaboodvand has been sentenced to 10 and a half years imprisonment and he has another case in process.

It should be mentioned that, Mohammad Seddigh Kaboodvand was Awarded Hellman / Hammett persecuted writers’ prize in 2009 by Human Rights Watch and also, won the press award in Great Britain under the title of “International Journalist of the Year” in 2009.