We the undersigned call for the immediate release of Mr. Sadiq Kaboudvand, who is being detained in Evin Prison in Iran.
On Sunday July 1st 2007, Iranian authorities once again arrested Kurdish human rights activist and journalist Mr. Sadiq Kaboudvand.
Currently he is in the Evin prison. He was taken from his home in Tehran along with many of his belongings, particularly his work for the human rights' cause. No reason has been announced for his arrest and there are no indications of a trial or a release date. His lawyers as well as his family have been kept from contacting him.

In October 2005 Mr. Sadiq Kaboudvand was sentenced to one year in prison, along with a five-year ban on his journalistic activity and a ban on the publication of the weekly Payam-e Mardom-e Kurdistan" (The Message of Kurdish People) by the Sannandaj Criminal Court

As a journalist, Kaboudvand staunchly defended the cultural, social, and political rights of Kurds in Payam-e Mardom. Which lay the foundation for the first institution for the defense of human rights in Kurdistan. The Organization for the Defense of Human Rights in Kurdistan was a more serious step toward the establishment of civil society and the defense of the rights of Kurdish citizens in Iran.
We are concerned with Kaboudvands health, particularly his lung condition. Certainly, his illness will be aggravated by the unhealthy and enclosed space of prison.
We urgently ask you to pressure the Iranian government to release Mr. Kaboudvand and ensure his safe return to his family.