The Committee of Concerned Scientists, in a letter to the President of Iran, Hassan Rouhani, has requested the release of the students in Iran who participated in the recent protest demonstrations. Additionally, CCS has asked that their families be notified of their location and status and that they receive due process.
January 14, 2018
Hassan Rouhani
President of the Islamic Republic of Iran
The Presidency
Pasteur Street, Pasteur Square
Tehran, Islamic Republic of Iran
Dear President Rouhani:
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 to you out of concern for the students who participated peacefully in the recent protests and were detained or arrested.
None of the students, as we understand, initiated or were involved in the planning of the protests, but many did participate peacefully; while others, were merely bystanders. Additionally, some of the individuals arrested were members of the University Trade Unions’ Council of Iran who had met at Teheran University to discuss with the Chancellor ways to seek the freedom of the detained students. Four members of that council were arrested as soon as they left the meeting room.
The students were arrested during the first day of the protests, December 28, 2017 and the UTUCI members were arrested on January 1, 2018. The Islamic Republic of Iran must respect the United Nations Universal Declaration of Human Rights and immediately stop rounding up students as a preventative measure.
We welcome any additional information that may clarify our understanding of these events. Absent this, the facts suggest that the students have been arrested for peacefully exercising their right to academic freedom, freedom of expression, freedom of association, and freedom of assembly, as well as the right to have proper legal counsel of their choosing, to have their families notified of their situation and location, and to due process.
We believe it is vital that the international academic communities and academic institutions defend the fundamental freedoms of students, who have been imprisoned in apparent retaliation for exercising those rights. This is critical to preserve the rights and freedoms of future generations of students in Iran and worldwide.
We ask that you review this situation, drop any charges and release these students as quickly as possible.
Thank you for your attention and we look forward to a speedy response.
Sincerely,
Joel L. Lebowitz, Paul H. Plotz, Walter Reich, Eugene M. Chudnovsky, Alexander Greer
Co-Chairs, Committee of Concerned Scientists
Cc:
Ayatollah Sadeq Larijani
Head of the Judiciary
c/o Public Relations Office
Number 4, Deadend of 1 Azizi
Above Pasteur Intersection
Vali Asr Street
Tehran, Islamic Republic of Iran
Permanent Mission of the Islamic Republic of
Iran to the United Nations
622 Third Avenue
34th Floor
New York, NY 10017