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.

Turkey Requests Extradition of Manager and Teacher at Demirel College Who Has Lived in Georgia Since 2002

Turkey has requested Georgia to extradite Mustafa Cabuk alleging that he faces “terrorism” charges due to his alleged involvement with the Gulen movement.  Georgia has denied refugee status to Cabuk and his family.  CCS has written the Prime Minister of Georgia requesting a review and reconsideration for the Cabuk family as their well-being will most likely be in jeopardy if sent to Turkey.

 

July 20, 2017

Giorgi Kvirikashvili
Prime Minister
7 Ingorokva St.
Tbilisi, 0114 Georgia
Phone: +995 32 299 0900
Online form: gov.ge/index.php? lang_id=ENG&sec_id=378
Twitter: @KvirikashviliGi
FB: KvirikashviliOfficial

Dear Prime Minister:

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 concern for Mustafa Çabuk, a manager and teacher at Demirel College in Tbilisi who has lived in Georgia since 2002 but now faces extradition to Turkey, where he would be at high risk of ill-treatment, or other human rights abuses.

Mustafa Çabuk faces “terrorism” related charges in Turkey, due to an alleged connection to the Gülen movement involving facilitating the selling of some shares in Demirel College a U.S. based educational institution called Metropolitan Education and Consulting Services.

We are dismayed that your government on July 7 reportedly denied refugee status for Mustafa Çabuk and his family, and we urge you to fulfill your obligations under both international and Georgian law to never return anyone to a country where they are likely to be subjected to violations of their human rights.

We are also concerned about reports that Mustafa Çabuk and his family, including his wife Tubba Çabuk, have received death threats, and we urge you to ensure that they are protected.

Thank you for your attention to this most matter, and we look forward to receiving your response.

Sincerely,
Joel L. Lebowitz, Paul H. Plotz, Walter Reich, Eugene M. Chudnovsky, Alexander Greer
Co-Chairs, Committee of Concerned Scientists

cc.:
Minister of Justice
Tea Tsulukiani
24a Gorgasali St.
Tbilisi
Georgia
Phone: + 995 32 240 5505
Email: info@justice.gov.ge
Twitter: @Justice_geo

Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary
David Bakradze
Embassy of Georgia to the United States of America
1824 R Street, NW
Washington DC, 20009
202-387-2390
E-mail: embgeo.usa@mfa.gov.ge

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