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.
An appeal hearing on January 7, 2013 in the case of engineer and human rights activist Dr. Abduljalil Al-Singace would give Bahraini authorities a chance to reverse a life sentence that is based solely on his expression of opinion, according to CCS and other human rights groups that have been advocating for Al-Singace since his arrest in 2011. … continue reading >>
The Committee of Concerned Scientists wrote on behalf of Russian zoologist and environmental activist Suren Gazaryan and geologist Evgeny Vitishenko in May 2012 to protest criminal charges designed to retaliate for environmental inspections. Those charges resulted in a three-year suspended sentence for Dr. Gazaryan. In August 2012, Dr. Gazaryan was charged with attempted murder of a security … continue reading >>
This year, we have helped academics, human rights activists, scientists and physicians in eight countries. Here is a summary of our work. Our more detailed Annual Report will be released in February. … continue reading >>
CCS joined other human rights organizations in writing to Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, Supreme Leader of the Islamic Republic of Iran urging him to overturn the harsh and degrading sentence given to Bahman Ahamdi Amouee, a respected Iranian journalist and economist. Mr. Amouee was sentenced to seven years and four months in prison and 34 lashes for "anti-state activities." He has been in prison … continue reading >>
Dr. Jack Minker, CCS Vice-Chair for Computer Science and University of Maryland Professor Emeritus, gave a talk about his recently published memoir, Scientific Freedom & Human Rights: Scientists of Conscience During the Cold War, at the University of Maryland on October 3. Minker's book documents his work in human rights with CCS and other human rights organizations from 1972 to the … continue reading >>
Dr. Cyril Karabus, an eminent South African pediatric surgeon and professor of medicine, was arrested while en route home for charges stemming from the death of patient twelve years ago. He had operated on a child suffering from cancer in the United Arab Emirates, who later died of leukemia. Although earlier charges on the same grounds (of which Dr. Karabus was never notified) had been … continue reading >>
On September 2, 2012, Professor Halil Kemal Gürüz's family reported that he had suffered chest pains in his prison cell. He was transferred to intensive care in a hospital and an angiography was performed for blockage of one of his arteries. He is now back in prison. We are deeply concerned that continued imprisonment presents serious threats to a man of his age and condition. We urge … continue reading >>
According to an August 21 press statement by Victoria Nuland of the US Department of State, 36 universities in Iran have banned women from studying in 77 critical fields, including nuclear physics, computer science, engineering and education. The Committee of Concerned Scientists urges the Iranian government to lift these restrictions. … continue reading >>
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 time based on charges of participation in a 1997 plot. He is a retired chemical engineer and former president of both the Turkish of Higher Education Council (YÖK) and the Turkish science-funding agency TÜBITAK. The move was condemned by human-rights … continue reading >>
In spite of past promises to provide due process to Bahraini health care professionals who were arrested, tortured and sometimes disappeared, the Government of Bahrain has continued to prosecute many of the doctors and nurses who assisted protesters in 2011. Together with other human rights organizations, CCS has been advocating on behalf of these professionals and the principle of medical … continue reading >>
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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 >>
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