Committee of Concerned Scientists

An international non-profit organization of scientists, physicians, engineers and scholars dedicated to protecting the human rights and scientific freedom of our colleagues around the world.

An independent non-profit organization of scientists, physicians, engineers and scholars dedicated to protecting the human rights and scientific freedom of our colleagues around the world.

Student Leader in Swaziland Arrested for Demonstrating

Maxwell Dlamini, President of the National Union of Students of Swaziland, was reported arrested and possibly tortured, in violation of international human rights conventions agreed to by his country’s government. CCS calls for his release.

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Free Maxwell Dlamini website

Maxwell Dlamini supporters launch campaign to free him, The Guardian, June 8, 2011

King Maswati III
Office of the King
PO Box 1
Kwaluseni, Swaziland
mbulig@gov.sz

December 7, 2011

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 Maxwell Dlamini.

Mr. Dlamini is President of the Swaziland National Union of Students. We understand that he was arrested at a pro-democracy demonstration in April, 2011 and has been incarcerated ever since. There have been serious allegations in international academic and student publications that Dlamini has been tortured.

We believe that a violation of free expression has occurred, in the form of retaliation against a student for participating in a peaceful demonstration expressing legitimate concerns about the government in Swaziland. We further believe that all citizens of Swaziland have a basic human right to freedom of expression in all its peaceful forms, including demonstrations.

These actions of the Government of Swaziland appear to violate a number of international covenants protecting free speech, freedom from arbitrary arrest and detention and torture, to all of which Swaziland has acceded. These are the International Convention on Civil and Political Rights, the International Covenant against Torture and the African Charter on Human and People’s Rights.

We therefore respectfully urge your intervention to free Mr. Dlamini.

We appreciate your attention to this important matter and look forward to your reply.

Sincerely,

Eugene Chudnovsky
Alexander Greer
Joel Lebowitz
Walter Reich
Paul Plotz

Co-Chairs, Committee of Concerned Scientists

Copies to:

Barnabas Sibuso Dlamini, Prime Minister
Themba Mauku, Deputy Prime Minister
Earl M. Irving, Deputy Chief of Mission

Who We Are

Co-chairs

Joel L. Lebowitz, Rutgers University

Walter Reich, George Washington University

Eugene Chudnovsky, Lehman College

Alexander Greer, Brooklyn College

Vice-chairs

Biology – Max E. Gottesman, Columbia University

Chemistry – Zafra Lerman, MIMSAD Inc.

Computer Science – Rachelle Heller, The George Washington University

Engineering – Philip Sarachik, NYU Polytechnic School of Engineering

Computer Science – Jack Minker, University of Maryland, College Park

Mathematics – Simon Levin, Princeton University

Honorary Board Members

Nancy Andrews, Duke University

Myles Axton, Chief Editor, Genetics and Genomics Next

David Baltimore, California Institute of Technology*

Alan J. Bard, University of Texas

David Gross, University of California, Santa Barbara*

James Langer, University of California, Santa Barbara

Peter Lax, New York University

Giorgio Parisi, Roma I University La Sapienza

John C. Polanyi, University of Toronto*

Stuart Rice, University of Chicago

Sir Richard J. Roberts, New England Biolabs*

Maxine Singer, Carnegie Institution of Washington

Alfred I. Tauber, Boston University

Myrna Weissman, Columbia University

Former Honorary Board Members

Jacob Bigeleisen (deceased), SUNY, Stony Brook

Raoul Bott (deseased) Harvard University

Owen Chamberlain (deceased), University of California, Berkeley

Stanley Deser (deceased), Brandeis University

Edward Gerjuoy (deceased), University of Pittsburgh

Pierre Hohenberg (deceased), New York University

Walter Kohn (deceased), University of California, Santa Barbara*

Louis Nirenberg (deceased), New York University

Marshall Nirenberg (deceased), National Institutes of Health*

Myriam Sarachick (deceased), City College of New York

Harold Scheraga (deceased), Cornell University

Sylvan Schweber (deceased), Brandeis University

Steven Weinberg (deceased), University of Texas, Austin*

Rosalyn S. Yalow (deceased), Mount Sinai School of Medicine*

* Nobel laureate

CONTACT

Edyta Greer
Executive Director
P.O. Box 112
New York, NY 10159
emgreer@concernedscientists.org