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Nasrin Sotoodeh, who represents jailed Kurdish activist, Mohammad Seddigh ‎Kaboudvand, discussed her client's case and said that Kaboudvand's health complications ‎following a recent heart attack has deeply worried his family. Kaboudvand's fourth trial ‎session was held behind closed doors on Sunday at branch 15 or Revolutionary Court. ‎

Discussing Mohammad Seddigh Kaboudvand’s fourth trail session with Rooz, ‎Kaboudvand’s attorney criticized the judiciary for keeping his client behind bars while ‎the trial was postponed three times due to the prosecutor’s absence. Sotoodeh said, ‎‎“According to the law, the case of a defendant who is behind bars must be processed ‎more rapidly. In addition, the court cited Paragraph 1 of Article 188 of the criminal ‎procedure code to hold the trial behind closed doors. That paragraph, however, is about ‎immodest matters which have no relation to this case." ‎

Sotoodeh also discussed her client’s ailing physical condition, noting that he has suffered ‎a heart attack in prison, and told his family in a telephone conversation that, despite his ‎deteriorating health, he is not attended to and is completely ignored. ‎

Sotoodeh said that his client is unable to post the 150 million Toman [about $163,000] ‎bail and added that economic pressure resulting from lengthy arrest has caused him to ‎miss mortgage payments, his residence now in foreclosure. ‎

Sotoodeh, who could not comment on his client’s charges because of the non-public ‎nature of the trial, spoke about Kaboudvand’s journalistic and social activities prior to his ‎arrest: “He was arrested two years ago on charges of acting against national security for ‎working at the Payam-e Mardom journal (which was published in Sanandaj). The ‎publication was banned and he received an 18-month prison sentence.” ‎

Sotoodeh and her colleague, Seifzadeh, appealed Kaboudvand's verdict to the Supreme ‎Court, which found Payam-e Mardom’s suspension to be illegal and reduced ‎Kaboudvand’s prison sentence to six months. Nonetheless, Kaboudvand was arrested in ‎his office on July 1, 2007 on similar charges and has since been behind bars. Mohammad ‎Seddigh Kaboudvand was one of the Kurdish activists who founded Kurdistan’s Human ‎Rights center. According to his attorney, the law is not clear about the need to obtain a ‎permit for forming such an organization, and Kaboudvand has been jailed for his peaceful ‎social activism. ‎