It is with a heavy heart that the Committee of Concerned Scientists shares the news of the death of one of its co-chairs, Dr. Paul Plotz. Aside from his many achievements in the field of medicine, Dr. Plotz was devoted to the cause of human rights and a major contributor to our organization. He was a kind person who will be greatly missed by all of us who worked with him. We offer our condolences ... Continue Reading>>
Our Work
Israeli University Dismisses Senior Lecturer Over Social Media Posts on Israeli Invasion of Gaza
Dr. Uri Horesh, senior lecturer at Achva Academic College, was dismissed in November of 2023 for speaking on social media against the invasion of Gaza. ... Continue Reading>>
China Gives Australian-Chinese Writer a Suspended Death Sentence
The novelist and academic, Yang Hengjun, was arrested in China in 2019 and charged with espionage. He has very recently been given a suspended death sentence. His health is failing. ... Continue Reading>>
Harare Polytechnic College Student and ZINASU Member Abducted, Beaten, and Interrogated for Organizing Student Union Elections d.
Harare Polytechnic College student and ZINASU member, Valentine Ziko, was recently abducted, beaten, and interrogated amidst a police raid while organizing Student Representative Council elections at the Chinhoyi University of Technology. The government has refused responsibility and claims the aggressors of Ziko are third-party actors attempting to tarnish the government’s image. The Committee is ... Continue Reading>>
Talk on the Israel-Palestine Conflict by Writer and Retired Professor Canceled at IIT Bombay
Achin Vanaik, noted writer and retired professor of political science at University of Delhi, was due to give a talk on the Israel-Palestine Conflict in the context of the current war at the Indian Institute of Technology Bombay on November 14, 2023. However, it was canceled due to student objections alleging a previous talk was antisemitic and ... Continue Reading>>
Renowned Azerbaijani Political Economist Arrested Under Nebulous Pretenses Subject to Extended Pretrial Detention Despite Health Issues
Gubad Ibadoghlu, a research fellow at the London School of Economics and New University in Exile Consortium, is still detained in Azerbaijan under nebulous charges of currency fraud and connections to the Fethullah Gülen movement. His detainment has recently been extended to February 2024, and he is suffering from medical ... Continue Reading>>
CCS Receives Letter from the United States Ambassador to China
In October, the Committee wrote to Chinese President Xi Jinping regarding human rights lawyer Lu Siwei, who was barred from leaving China after receiving a fellowship in the United States. We CC'd the US Ambassador to China, Nicholas Burns, who sent us a reply. To read the letter addressed to President Xi Jinping, follow this ... Continue Reading>>
Prominent Endocrinologist in Turkey Sentenced to 7.5 Years in Prison for Alleged Affiliation with the Gülen Movement
Prominent Turkish endocrinologist Cihangir Erem was sentenced to 7.5 years in prison for alleged affiliation with the Gülen movement. His sentence was based on evidence consisting of routine activities such as using the services of a federally approved bank. He appears to be a target of political ... Continue Reading>>
United States denies visa to Afghan scholarship recipient
A nineteen-year-old Afghan student was twice denied an American visa despite admission to an American university alongside a scholarship covering all her expenses. When questioned about the reason for the denial, a spokesperson for the U.S. Department of State cited the Immigration and Nationality Act, which includes a requirement to prove one’s intention to leave the U.S. following the expiration ... Continue Reading>>
Renowned Scholar Pressured to Step Down After Calling for a Ceasefire in Gaza
Professor Nadera Shalhoub-Kevorkian, the Lawrence D. Biele Chair in Law at the Faculty of Law Institute of Criminology of the Hebrew University in Jerusalem, has been asked to step down after she signed the letter titled “Childhood researchers and students call for immediate ceasefire in Gaza”. CCS urges the administration of Hebrew University to show respect for academic freedom and the freedom ... Continue Reading>>