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.

NASA Scientist Still Held in Turkey for Alleged Coup Involvement

Serkan Golge from his LinkedIn profile.

Serkan Golge, a 36-year-old physicist and research scientist at the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) in the United States, has been detained in Turkey since August of last year, and charged with involvement with the Gülen movement and the U.S. Central Intelligence Agency (CIA).

No credible evidence has been presented to back up these charges. In the absence of evidence, Mr. Golge’s detention is both arbitrary and illegal, and, even under the current “State of Emergency”, is a violation of Turkey’s international and European human rights commitments, as well as the rights guaranteed by the Turkish Constitution.

January 11, 2017

Recep Tayyip Erdoğan
President of Turkey
Office of the President
06573 Basbakanlik
Ankara, Turkey
Fax: +90 312 417 04 76
E-mail: contact@tccb.gov.tr

Dear President Erdoğan,

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 continuing concern for Serkan Golge, a 36-year-old physicist and research scientist at the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) in the United States. He has been detained since August of last year, and charged with involvement with the Gülen movement and the U.S. Central Intelligence Agency (CIA).

No credible evidence has been presented to back up these charges, and in October we joined with Endangered Scholars Worldwide to call for Serkan Golge’s immediate and unconditional release, which we strongly reiterate now. In the absence of any evidence, Mr. Golge’s detention is both arbitrary and illegal, and, even under the current “State of Emergency”, is a violation of Turkey’s international and European human rights commitments, as well as the rights guaranteed by the Turkish Constitution.

We also remain concerned that, as of October, Mr. Golge, who is also a citizen of the United States, has not been allowed a visit from U.S. consular representatives, and that he has been subjected to extended periods of solitary confinement, putting him at risk of torture or ill-treatment.

We once again urge you to review this case and bring about the release of Serkan Golge as quickly as possible.

Sincerely,

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

Co-Chairs, Committee of Concerned Scientists

Copies to:

The Honorable Joseph R. Biden
Vice President of the United States of America
1600 Pennsylvania Ave NW
Washington, DC 20500John Kerry
United States Secretary of State
Office of Foreign Missions
U.S. Department of State
2201 C Street NW
Washington, DC 20520
Email: OFMInfo@state.gov

Ambassador John Bass
U.S. Embassy Ankara
110 Atatürk Blvd.
Kavaklıdere, 06100 Ankara – Turkey
Phone: (90-312) 455-5555
Fax: (90-312) 467-0019
@USEmbassyTurkey

Ambassador Serdar Kılıç
Embassy of the Republic of Turkey
2525 Massachusetts Ave. NW
Washington, DC 20008
Phone: 1 202 612 6700/1
Fax: 1 202 612 6744
Email: embassy.washingtondc@mfa.gov.trMinister of Justice
Mr. Bekir Bozdağ
Ministry of Justice
Adalet Bakanlığı
06659 Ankara, Turkey
Fax: +90 312 417 71 13

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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