Mohammad Seddigh Kaboudvand

Mohammad Sadiq Kaboudvand (Kurdish: محەممەد سەدیق کەبوودوەند, born on 22 March 1962[1] is an Iranian Kurdish activist and journalist.[2] He was the editor of Payam-e Mardom.[3] He is also the founder of Kurdistan Human Rights Organization (Rêxistina Mafê Mirovan li Kurdistanê in Kurdish). Founded in 2005,[4] the organization was a politically and religiously independent body. It had offices in Tehran and Kurdistan province. It was later declared illegal.[4]

Early life, family and work

Mohammad Sadiq Kaboudvand was born on 22 March 1962 in Divandarreh, in Sanandaj County, in Eastern Kurdistan. He was the fourth child in his family and has two brothers and three sisters. Kaboudvand spent his childhood and youth in the city of Sanandaj, and at the age of twenty, after marrying, he moved to Tehran, the capital of Iran. He has two sons and one daughter.

From 9 April 2005, when he founded the Human Rights Organization of Kurdistan (HROK), until his arrest, Kaboudvand was actively involved in documenting and reporting human rights violations in Kurdistan.[5]

Detention

Kaboudvand he was taken into custody in June 2007. Charges were brought against him for “acting against national security through HROK,” “widespread propaganda against the system by disseminating news,” “opposing Islamic penal laws by publicizing punishments such as stoning and executions,” and “advocating on behalf of political prisoners.”[5]

He was sentenced to ten years in prison. Kaboudvand was then held in solitary confinement for five months in Sections 209 and 240 of Evin Prison. Prison guards informed their superiors that he was experiencing mental and physical health problems,[5] "without adequate medical care despite reportedly suffering from serious health problems."[6][7] His condition deteriorated further, and in April 2008 he had a stroke and was taken to a specialist for treatment.[5]

In October 2008, his 11-year prison sentence was upheld by an Iranian appeals court.[6]

In January 2012, Kaboudavand's son Pejman became seriously ill with an undiagnosed kidney condition. Despite repeated requests, Kaboudavand was allowed only one two-hour visit to his son's hospital room in February. On 26 May 2012, Kaboudavand began a hunger strike to protest the refusal of authorities to allow him to visit Pejman more regularly. In December 2012, he was briefly released on bail to visit his son after a hunger strike led to his hospitalization. Press reports said that he went back to prison four days later.[8][9]

Security forces told Kaboudvand in 2013 that they might bring new charges over letters he was said to have sent to senior officials urging respect for human rights. No such charges had been filed by late 2014.[10]

Kaboudvand was released on 12 May 2017 after ten years' incarceration in Tehran's Evin Prison.[10]

Awards

Kaboudavand was a highlighted writer for the 2008 observances of the Day of the Imprisoned Writer. Amnesty International designated him a prisoner of conscience, "held solely for his human rights work and the peaceful expression of his views".[11]

In 2009, Kaboudvand received the International Journalist of the Year award at the British Press Awards and was also given Human Rights Watch's Hellman/Hammett Award for persecuted writers.[12]

References

  1. ^ "Mohammad Sadiq Kaboudvand was put on the no-fly list". Kurdpa (kurdpa.net). 2017-05-12. Retrieved 2026-03-21.
  2. ^ Sahimi, Muhammad (13 June 2012). "Profiles | Journalist & Blogger: Two Who Fight for Iranians' Human Rights". PBS. Retrieved 27 March 2021.
  3. ^ [1] Archived 2005-12-12 at the Wayback Machine
  4. ^ a b Hassaniyan, Allan (2020-08-19). "The Gains and Risks of Kurdish Civic Activism in Iran". Middle East Research and Information Project. Retrieved 2026-03-19.
  5. ^ a b c d "Mohammad Sadiq Kaboudvand". Center for Human Rights in Iran. 2009-01-26. Retrieved 2026-03-21.
  6. ^ a b http://www.khrp.org/content/view/422/2/
  7. ^ Iranian Court Confirms Jail Term for Kurdish Human Rights Activist, 6 November 2008, accessed 10 May 2011
  8. ^ "Mohammad Seddigh Kaboudvand". Committee to Protect Journalists. 2025-03-03. Retrieved 2026-03-19.
  9. ^ "Jailed Journalist on Hunger Strike". Amnesty International. 11 July 2012. Retrieved 19 July 2012.
  10. ^ a b "Kurdish journalist released from prison in Iran". Kurdish journalist released from prison in Iran. 2017-05-12. Retrieved 2026-03-19.
  11. ^ "Iran: Free prisoner of conscience to visit ailing son". Amnesty International. 17 February 2012. Retrieved 9 June 2012.
  12. ^ "Kurdish Political Prisoner in Iran on Hunger Strike to Protest New Charges". Center for Human Rights in Iran. 2016-05-24. Retrieved 2026-03-19.
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