Committee of Concerned Scientists
We are scientists, physicians, engineers and scholars dedicated to protecting the human rights and scientific freedom of colleagues around the world.
In his talk at the New School on February 6, 2013 (see our posting summarizing that event), the blind Chinese lawyer Chen Guangcheng expressed great concern about the arrest and sentencing of his nephew, Chen Kegui, by local authorities in home Chen's province. He believes that attacks on Chen's family members and unfair trial and sentencing of his nephew were actions taken in retaliation for … continue reading >>
Blind Chinese lawyer Chen Guangcheng, who is studying at NYU law school under asylum in the US, gave a talk on February 6, 2013, at the New School in New York City on “The Future of the Rule of Law and Human Rights in China.” CCS had advocated on behalf of granting asylum to Chen in 2012, when he fled from house arrest and mistreatment by Chinese authorities to the US Embassy in Beijing. … continue reading >>
China’s blind activist expertly used the power of the U.S. to magnify his cause. Here’s how Obama should keep up the pressure: by taking a page from Ronald Reagan’s dealings with Russia. by Walter Reich, CCS Co-chair “Give me a lever long enough and a fulcrum on which to place it, and I shall move the world.” That’s what Archimedes, the Greek mathematician, said 2,300 years ago. And … continue reading >>
It is with great sadness that we report the death on April 6, 2012 of our distinguished colleague and Advisory Committee member Fang Lizhi of the University of Arizona. Dr. Fang was a brilliant astrophysicist and influential proponent of human rights in his native China. His political ideals inspired the pro-democracy student movement in China that eventually resulted in the protests at … continue reading >>
Chen Guangcheng, a self-taught Chinese advocate for families forced to undergo sterilization and abortions, was imprisoned for four years and subsequently detained in his house and mistreated without charges for 19 months. After a dramatic escape, Chen Guangcheng sought refuse in the US embassy in Beijing. CCS urges US authorities to grant asylum to Chen and to his family. … continue reading >>
Chinese authorities prevented Gu Chuan, a blogger and editor, from traveling to the US to accept Columbia University's invitation as a visiting scholar. According to Scholars at Risk, the reason was another Chinese individual's critical remarks while visiting the US. CCS protested this double violation of international protection of travel and speech. … continue reading >>
CCS protests the continued detention of Dr. Zicheng Hu, a Chinese-American engineer who has been unable to leave China since November 2008 when he went on a business trip to China. He served a 17 month prison sentence, was released without charges, but is unable to leave China. CCS urges the government of China to release him immediately. … continue reading >>
Hu Jia, a prominent Chinese dissident whose activism on behalf of the environment and AIDS sufferers landed him in prison for the last three and a half years, was released in the pre-dawn hours Sunday, June 18, and returned to his home in Beijing. CCS has been advocating for his release, supporting his family''s request for medical parole, in view of Hu Jia's serious liver ailment. … continue reading >>
CCS wrote a letter to Chinese authorities concerning Ding Zilin, her husband Jiang Peikun, as well as for Liu Xia. Associates of Ding Zilin, a former professor of philosophy, a spokesperson for the Tiananmen Mothers and a supporter of Nobel Peace Prize winner Liu Xiaobo, state that they have been unable to contact her or her husband by phone or email since October 8, 2010. … continue reading >>
"International human rights law and standards are above the nation-state, and the world community has a duty to ensure they are respected," the Chairman of the Nobel Prize committee says in explaining its award of the Nobel Peace Prize to Chinese activist Liu Xiaobo. Liu, who is serving an 11 year sentence for "subverting state power" after peacefully circulating the "Charter 08" petition to … continue reading >>
Make your tax-deductible donation to CCS via Network for Good or PayPal.
Click on one of the links below to help us defend the human rights of our colleagues around the world.
Domestic and international contributors can also use PayPal
In July, we protested the arrest of one of Turkey’s most prominent academic reformers, Kemal Gürüz, who was arrested and jailed for the second … continue reading >>
Connect with Us