FREE Mohammad Sadiq Kabudvand

UPDATE Thu, 07/26/2012

Jailed Iranian human rights activist Mohammad Seddigh Kaboodvand has ended his 59-day hunger strike against the government’s refusal to live him visit his sick son.

The Kurdistan Human Rights Organization reported that Mohammad Seddigh Kaboodvand ended his strike on Tuesday, after prison authorities promised to grant him a furlough to visit his son.

The reports indicates that Kaboodvand expressed deep appreciation for all the people both inside and outside Iran who expressed support for him and his family throughout his ordeal.

The Kurdistan Human Rights Organization also reports that Kaboudvand’s wife, Parinaz Hassany, was told by her husband during their latest visit that prison authorities have agreed to grant him leave to visit his son.

Kaboodvand has reportedly said that the head of Evin Prison, along with a number of other officials, have urged him to end his hunger strike by promising they will agree to grant him a furlough.

Mohammad Seddigh Kaboodvand has been sentenced to 10 years in jail for his human rights activities. He is charged with “acting against national security and propaganda against the regime.” He has already been jail for more than five years.

He has been on hunger strike because authorities have refused to let him spend time with his son, who is under treatment for a rare blood condition.

SOURCE : Radio Zamaneh

UPDATE Mon, 06/04/2012

Hunger strike lands jailed activist in infirmary

Jailed Iranian human rights activist Mohmmad Seddigh Kaboodvand is in critical condition following more than a week on a hunger strike.

Kaleme reports that Mohammad Seddigh Kaboodvand, who has been refusing food since Saturday May 26, has been transferred to the Evin Prison infirmary.

Kaboodvand, who is also suffering from existing prostate complications, had already been issued a letter by the coroner’s office indicating that he is not physically capable of enduring his prison sentence. However, prison authorities have not heeded this verdict.

Kaboodvand began his hunger strike because prison authorities refused him leave to visit his sick son, and he has announced that he will continue starving himself until he is granted permission to spend time with his child.

He had broken an earlier strike after the state promised that he would be given a furlough once he began eating, but the promise was not fulfilled.

Kaboodvand is a human rights activist in Iran’s Kurdistan province and he has been sentenced to 10 years in jail for establishing the Human Rights Organization of Kurdistan and one more year for “propaganda against the regime.”

SOURCE : Radio Zamaneh

Mohammad Sadiq Kabudvand , a 49 year old Kurdish human rights defender, is serving sentences totalling 10 and a half years imposed since May 2008 for “acting against state security by establishing an illegal group [the Human Rights Organization of Kurdistan (HROK)]”.

He is also facing other charges brought against him while in prison for his writings on women’s rights and other human rights issues.

Mohammad Sadiq Kabudvand suffers from kidney and prostate conditions which have been exacerbated by poor prison conditions and lack of adequate medical care. In early December 2008, he was seen by a prison doctor who noted that he was suffering from dizziness and unstable blood pressure, and that his existing kidney and prostate problems were worsening.

It is believed that on 17 December 2008 he suffered a heart attack but no doctor was available in the prison clinic as it was a national holiday. He has also had one episode of unconsciousness, lasting approximately 30 minutes. Doctors at Evin prison reportedly requested that the prisoner be granted specialist assessment and treatment outside of the prison, but the request was ignored by the authorities.

It is also reported that Mohammad Sadiq Kabudvand suffered two strokes in 2010 -- one on 15 July and the other on 19 November.

His sister said he told her that he had been seen by a neurologist after the first stroke but was not examined thoroughly and no tests were administered. Instead the physician prescribed a series of pills to take daily but did not give any details on the name, recommended use or possible side-effects of the pills.

In June 2011 Mohammad Sadiq Kabudvand was seen by an independent doctor who reportedly stated that he needed to undergo two operations for hardening of the heart arteries and an enlarged prostate. Since his imprisonment Mohammad Sadiq Kabudvand has lost about 20 kgs.