Mohammad Sadiq Kabudvand Returned to Prison from Hospital

Reports indicate that Mohammad Sadiq Kabudvand, a Kurdish journalist and human rights activist, has been discharged from the hospital and returned to prison despite his "poor physical condition." According to the website Kalemeh, Kabudvand has refused to end his hunger strike. The report states that "doctors" have urged this political prisoner to end his hunger strike to normalize his blood potassium levels and reduce the risk of seizures, but "he has refused and stated that he will continue his hunger strike until his demands are clarified." This Kurdish journalist and human rights activist had been hospitalized due to his dangerous physical condition after approximately one month of hunger strike. On Thursday, Amnesty International warned that the life and death of Mohammad Sadiq Kabudvand, who is "illegally imprisoned," depends on the "decisions of the authorities of the Islamic Republic of Iran." According to this organization, 54-year-old Kabudvand is nearing the end of his ten-year prison sentence based on "fabricated charges and crimes" and has been on hunger strike since May. Amnesty International stated in its announcement that Mr. Kabudvand lost consciousness on May 12, thirteen days after starting his hunger strike, and was transferred from Evin Prison to the hospital. However, Amnesty International reported that after hospital staff attempted to force-feed him, he requested to be returned to Evin Prison. He was transferred to another hospital three days later. Mohammad Sadiq Kabudvand has been in prison since August 2007. He was sentenced to ten years in prison for human rights activities and as the founder and director of the Kurdistan Human Rights Defense Organization, and to six months in prison for editing the weekly "Payam-e Mardom-e Kurdistan." Amnesty International states that efforts to accuse Mohammad Sadiq Kabudvand of new fabricated crimes began last March when he was taken for further interrogation at the Evin prison prosecutor's office. After this interrogation, he was informed that he was charged with "propaganda against the regime." Amnesty International added that the reason for this new charge, which the Iranian government uses to suppress peaceful expression of opinion, is still not entirely clear. In this context, Amnesty International warned about Kabudvand's "serious physical condition" and expressed concern over his situation.