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.

CCS Protests Arbitrary Arrest of Retired Tehran University Professor

For the third time since 2001, Dr. Mohammad Hossein Rafiee has been wrongfully detained in Iran. His arrest on unspecified charges is in breach of the guarantees outlined in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the United Nations International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights. The Committee of Concerned Scientists has expressed its deep concern for Dr. Rafiee’s well-being and has requested his immediate release.

July 15, 2015

Hasan Fereidun Ruhani
The President
The Islamic Republic of Iran
Palestine Avenue, Azerbaijan Intersection
Tehran, Islamic Republic of Iran

Re: Professor Mohammad Hossein Rafiee Fanood, Ph.D.

Your Excellency:

The Committee of Concerned Scientists is 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 to express our grave concern for retired Tehran University Professor, Dr. Mohammad Hossein Rafiee, who was arrested on June 16, 2015 without either a court order or justification. This is the third time Dr. Rafiee has been wrongfully detained; previously in February of 2001 and in May of 2015.

As you know, this arrest is a breach of guarantees outlined in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the United Nations International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, to which Iran is signatory.

Iran has a rich intellectual history and a tradition that values science, scholarship and free inquiry. The suddenness and capriciousness of this latest arrest raises serious concerns about the ability of internationally recognized scientists and scholars to safely remain in Iran.

We urge you to ensure that the guarantees embodied in the constitution of the Islamic Republic of Iran and Iran’s obligations under international law are upheld, and that a review on behalf of Dr. Rafiee is completed leading to his release. We further urge Dr. Rafiee have immediate access to legal counsel of his choosing, to family and to any necessary medical treatment in the interim.

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

Sincerely,

Joel L. Lebowitz, Paul H. Plotz, Walter Reich,
Eugene M. Chudnovsky, Alexander Greer

Co-Chairs, Committee of Concerned Scientists

Copies to

United States Secretary of John Kerry
U.S. Department of State
2201 C Street NW
Washington, DC 20520, USA

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Who We Are

Co-chairs

Joel L. Lebowitz, Rutgers University

Paul H. Plotz, M.D., Washington, DC

Walter Reich, George Washington University

Eugene Chudnovsky, Lehman College

Alexander Greer, Brooklyn College

Vice-chairs

Astronomy – Arno Penzias, New Enterprises Associates*

Biology – Max E. Gottesman, Columbia University

Chemistry – Zafra Lerman, MIMSAD Inc.

Computer Science – Rachelle Heller, The George Washington University

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

Engineering – Philip Sarachik, NYU Polytechnic School of Engineering

Mathematics – Simon Levin, Princeton University

Medical Sciences – J. Joseph Blum, Duke University

Honorary Board Members

Nancy Andrews, Duke University

David Baltimore, California Institute of Technology*

Alan J. Bard, University of Texas

Jacob Bigeleisen (deceased), SUNY, Stony Brook

Raoul Bott (deceased), Harvard University

Owen Chamberlain (deceased), University of California, Berkeley

Stanley Deser, Brandeis University

Edward Gerjuoy, University of Pittsburg

David Gross, (2004 Nobel Prize in Physics), Kavil Institute for Theoretical Physics, University of California, Santa Barbara*

Pierre Hohenberg (deceased), New York University

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

James Langer, University of California, Santa Barbara

Peter Lax, New York University

Louis Nirenberg, New York University

Marshall Nirenberg (deceased), National Institutes of Health*

Honorary Board Members

John C. Polanyi, University of Toronto*

Stuart Rice, University of Chicago

Sir Richard J. Roberts, (1993 Nobel Prize in Physiology & Medicine), New England Biolabs*

Myriam Sarachick, City College of New York

Harold Scheraga, Cornell University

Sylvan Schweber (deceased), Brandeis University

Maxine Singer, Carnegie Institution of Washington

Alfred I. Tauber, Boston University

Steven Weinberg, University of Texas, Austin*

Myrna Weissman, Columbia University

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

* Nobel laureate

Committee of Concerned Scientists

c/o Alexandra R. Bender, Executive Director
P.O. Box 4525
Easton, PA 18043
Phone: (570) 994-2093
abender@concernedscientists.org