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 Urges Saudi King to Pardon Blogger

CCS wrote to the King of Saudi Arabia, requesting a pardon for Raif Badawi, a Saudi Arabian blogger who was sentenced to a 10-year prison term as well as weekly floggings for “insulting Islam through electronic channels.” By subjecting Badawi to torture, Saudi Arabia violates agreements that it is party to: The UN Convention Against Torture and the Arab Charter on Human Rights.

November 30, 2015

Prime Minister
Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques
King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al-Saud
Riyadh, Royal Court: 11-488-2222
Kingdom of Saudi Arabia

Your Majesty:

We, the Committee of Concerned Scientists, are respectfully asking your Majesty to pardon Raif Badawi, the blogger sentenced to 10 years in prison and the 1,000 lashes for insulting Islam through electronic channels. This sentence and the underlying conviction were imposed on Mr. Badawi for peacefully exercising his right to freedom of expression.

The floggings were to be carried out in increments of 50 lashes weekly for a period of 20 weeks. However, the first round of lashings were so brutal that they did not heal in time for the scheduled second round. His case was referred to Saudia Arabia’s Supreme Court which upheld the sentence. Subsequent floggings have been suspended, to date.

Subjecting Mr. Badawi to 50 lashes weekly is cruel, inhumane and degrading. It violates international law and amounts to torture. As a State party to the United Nations Convention Against Torture, your government is obligated to prevent such torturous punishment and must ensure Mr. Badawi is not subject to further flogging. Also, as a party to the Arab Charter on Human Rights, your government has agreed to refrain from physical torture and respect freedom of thought, conscience and opinion.

Mr. Badawi was convicted solely for exercising those freedoms outlined in the Arab Charter, as well as its guarantee as outlined in Article 19 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. We urge you to immediately overturn his conviction and unconditionally set him free. Given the suffering he has already endured it is vital that he be given adequate healthcare until released as well as access to his family and legal representation.

Sincerely,

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

Co-Chairs, Committee of Concerned Scientists

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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

Committee of Concerned Scientists

c/o Alexandra R. Bender, Executive Director
P.O. Box 273
Mountainhome, PA 18342
abender@concernedscientists.org