CCS wrote a letter to the King of Bahrain protesting the arrest of Professor Masaud Jahromi, Chairman of the Department of Computer Science and Engineering at Ahlia University.
Read the letter:
August 25, 2011
His Majesty Shaikh Hamad bin Issa Al Khalifa
King of Bahrain
Office of His Majesty the King
PO Box 555
Rifa’a Palace,
Isa Town Central, Kingdom of Bahrain
Your Majesty:
We are an independent organization of scientists, physicians, engineers and scholars devoted to the protection and advancement of human rights and scientific freedom for colleagues all over the world. We write now in concern for Professor Masaud Jahromi.
Dr. Jahromi is Chairman of the Department of Computer Science and Engineering at Ahlia University’s College of Mathematical Sciences and Information Technology. He holds a PhD in Telecommunication Networking from University of Kent at Canterbury, United Kingdom. We understand that Professor Jahromi was arrested and taken from his home at 2:30 am on April 14, 2011. Professor Jahromi was held first in Al Galaa Prison and then transferred to the Dry Dock Prison, where he has been since the end of April.
According to reports, the police broke into his house in the middle of the night, threatened and harassed members of his family, confiscated the family’s laptops, and beat Professor Jahromi before taking him away to an undisclosed location. He was denied access to his family for over one month. Reports also indicate that Professor Jahromi is not receiving medical treatment for serious and diagnosed conditions, including Hepatitis C.
The nature of Professor Jahromi’s arrest and his detention without access to medical care and family suggests serious disregard of international standards of due process, fair trial and detention as guaranteed in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, to which Bahrain has acceded. We therefore respectfully urge authorities to intervene in his case and to ensure his well being, including regular access to family, to legal counsel of his choosing and to medical treatment pending his earliest release
Sincerely,
Eugene Chudnovsky
Alexander Greer
Joel Lebowitz
Walter Reich
Paul Plotz
Co-chairs, Committee of Concerned Scientists
Copies to:
His Highness Shaikh Khalifa Bin Salman Al Khalifa
Prime Minister
Ministry of Foreign Affairs
P.O. Box 547
Government Road
Manama, Kingdom of Bahrain
His Excellency Shaikh Khalid bin Ali Al Khalifa
Minister of Justice and Islamic Affairs
Ministry of Justice and Islamic Affairs, Diplomatic Area
PO Box 450
Manama, Kingdom of Bahrain
His Excellency Dr. Majid bin Ali Al-Naimi
Minister of Education
Ministry of Education Building
Al Istiklai Street,
PO Box 43, Isa Town Central
Kingdom of Bahrain
Ambassador Houda Ezra Ebrahim Nonoo
Embassy of the Kingdom of Bahrain
3502 International Drive NW
Washington, DC 20008
Professor M. Cherif Bassiouni
Commission Chair
Bahrain Independent Commission of Inquiry (BICI)
Email: outreach@bici.org.bh
The Right Honorable William Hague
Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs
Foreign and Commonwealth Office
King Charles Street
London, SW1A 2AH, United Kingdom
Assistant Secretary Jeffrey Feltman
U.S. Department of State
2201 C Street NW
Washington, DC 20520 USA
Assistant Secretary Michael Posner
U.S. Department of State
2201 C Street NW
Washington, DC 20520 USA
His Excellency J. Adam Ereli
Ambassador of the United States to the Kingdom of Bahrain
Embassy of the United States of America
Bldg 979, Road 3119, Block 331, Zinj
Kingdom of Bahrain
Via email to: info@mofa.gov.bh