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.
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Dr. Ahmadreza Djalali Sentenced to Death in Iran

October 25, 2017

Dr. Ahmadreza Djalali was sentenced to death on October 21, 2017 by a revolutionary court on espionage charges. Dr. Djalali is a physician and lecturer in Disaster Medicine and was in Iran at the invitation of Tehran University to train other medical professionals in this concentration. He has been there many times in the past with no incident, even working for the Red Crescent. At this time, Dr. Djalali has 20 days to appeal his sentence. CCS is requesting help from any professionals and persons who have influence and can impact this situation to have this sentence reversed and hopefully set aside.

Professor Seyed Alireza Marandi, M.D.
President
The Iranian Academy of Medical Sciences
National Library Blvd., Haqqani Expressway
POB 19395/4655 Tehran
Islamic Republic of Iran
Fax: +9821 88645499

IAMP Contact:
Dr. Mohsen Jalal
Coordinator Health and International Cooperation Group

Email Addresses:
mohsenjalali@ut.ac.ir
azizi@endocrine.ac.ir
afkham@ams.ac.ir
Dear Dr. Marandi:

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 are writing you again to express in the strongest possible terms our concern for Dr. Ahmadreza Djalali, who has been sentenced to death in Iran after a grossly unfair trial. We urge you to take all possible steps to support Dr. Djalali and to work to overturn his conviction and death sentence. We also ask that you request your members to exert any influence they may have in assisting in this horrific case.

Professor Djalali, a citizen of Iran currently living in Sweden, is a medical doctor and lecturer at Stockholm Medical University – the Karolinska Institute. He obtained a Master’s degree in Disaster Medicine, a program jointly organized by the Università̀ del Piemonte Orientale (Italy) and the Vrije Universiteit in Brussels (Belgium), and recently completed a postdoctoral research fellowship at the CRIMEDIM. Dr. Djalali was in Iran teaching a class on Disaster Medicine for a Master’s Degree program at the invitation of the University of Tehran. He has been there numerous times in the past, working for state organizations, such as the Red Crescent, with never an issue.

He was convicted in a revolutionary court, overseen by Judge Abolqasem Salavati, on espionage charges, specifically spying on Iran for Israel, which Dr. Djalali adamantly denied. He was sentenced to death on October 21, and he has 20 days to appeal. Following his arrest in Tehran in April 2016, he was held in solitary confinement, subjected to abuse, denied access to a lawyer of his choice, and forced to sign a confession.

We are unaware of any evidence supporting the accusations against him. It is very unclear to us why he has been targeted in this manner, and we are extremely disturbed that Dr. Djalali is at such grave risk of execution.

Please do whatever you can to prevent such a profound injustice that not only threatens the life of a respected scientist and medical doctor but also tarnishes the image of Iran in the eyes of international community, health professionals in particular.

We thank you for your attention to this most serious matter.

Sincerely,

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

 

October 26, 2017

His Excellency Seyed Hasan Ghazizadeh Hashemi
Minister of Health and Medical Education of the Islamic Republic of Iran
Simaye Iran Street, Phase 5, Sannat Square, Shahrake Qods
P.O Box 14665-1565
Teheran
Iran
Tel: +9821 836 3980
Fax: +9821 836 4100
Sat: +882 1633330714
Email: whoteh@ira.emro.who.int

Dear Minister Hashemi:

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 are writing you again to express in the strongest possible terms our concern for Dr. Ahmadreza Djalali, who has been sentenced to death in Iran after a grossly unfair trial. We urge you to take all possible steps to support Dr.  Djalali and to work to overturn his conviction and death sentence. We ask that you request your colleagues to exert any influence they may have in assisting in this horrific case.

Professor Djalali, a citizen of Iran, currently living in Sweden,  is a medical doctor and lecturer at Stockholm Medical University – the Karolinska Institute. He obtained a Master’s degree in Disaster Medicine, a program jointly organized by the Università̀ del Piemonte Orientale (Italy) and the Vrije Universiteit in Brussels (Belgium), and recently completed a postdoctoral research fellowship at the CRIMEDIM.  Dr. Djalali was in Iran teaching a class on Disaster Medicine for a Master’s Degree program at the invitation of the University of Tehran. He has been there numerous times in the past, working for state organizations, such as the Red Crescent, with never an issue.

He was convicted in a revolutionary court, overseen by Judge Abolqasem Salavati, on espionage charges, specifically spying on Iran for Israel, which Dr. Djalali adamantly denied. He was sentenced to death on October 21, and he has 20 days to appeal. Following his arrest in Tehran in April 2016, he was held in solitary confinement, subjected to abuse, denied access to a lawyer of his choice, and forced to sign a confession.

We are unaware of any evidence supporting the accusations against him. It is very unclear to us why he has been targeted in this manner, and we are extremely disturbed that Dr.  Djalali is at such grave risk of execution.

Please do whatever you can to prevent such a profound injustice that not only threatens the life of a respected scientist and medical doctor but also tarnishes the image of Iran in the eyes of international community, health professionals in particular.

We thank you for your attention to this most serious matter.

Sincerely,

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

  • University World News Report of Djalali Sentence
  • Amnesty International Urgent Action
  • CCS Co-Chair’s Article in Washington Examiner

Filed Under: CCS Cases, Iran, Prominent Cases Tagged With: Ahmadreza Djalali, Death Penalty, Djalali, Sweden

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

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