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.

Bahraini Engineer’s Appeal for Deportation to be Held March 6th

​Masaud JahromiDr. Masaud Mirza Jahromi, who was wrongfully stripped of his Bahrainian citizenship on January 31, 2015, has been notified that he would be deported shortly. An Appeal of that decision is to be held on March 6th. Should the decision be upheld, Dr. Jahromi will be deported shortly — without his family. CCS has written requesting the Ministry of Justice and Islamic Affairs to correct this error and order immediate cessation of any deportation procedures. We also requested that his citizenship be restored.

March 2, 2016

H.E. Shaikh Khalid bin Ali bin Abdulla Al Khalifa
Ministry of Justice and Islamic Affairs
Kingdom of Bahrain
Fax:  011-973-17536343

Your Excellency:

We write to express our concern about the upcoming court hearing on the deportation of Dr. Masaud Mirza Jahromi, Chair of the Telecommunication Engineering Department at Ahlia University in Manama.

In 2011, Dr. Jahromi was sentenced to four months of prison and a fine of 500 dinars for participating in “unauthorized rallies” during protests. He served his sentence and was eventually restored to his position at Ahlia University. There are no additional allegations or evidence that he violated any law since that time. Nevertheless, on January 31, 2015, Bahrain revoked his citizenship following unsubstantiated accusation of “advocating regime change through illegal means”.

Article 15 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights specifically prohibits arbitrary deprivation of anyone’s nationality. Implementing the Declaration, the International Convention on Civil and Political Rights, to which Bahrain is a signatory, protects both the right of individuals to due process and their right to free speech. Denial of citizenship without an apparent basis imposes severe damage on an individual, who consequently becomes stateless. Moreover, the inclusion of Jahromi’s name on a list together with obvious terrorists serving with ISIS abroad damages his reputation as an academic.

We respectfully urge you to correct an obvious mistake, order immediate cessation of any deportation procedures and restoration of Dr. Jahromi’s Bahraini citizenship.

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.

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

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