On April 15, 2018, Abbas Edalat, a computer scientist and mathematics professor at the Imperial College in London, England, was detained by the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps of Iran. He has been accused of being one of a group of British spies. There has, however, been no information presented substantiating such a claim. Professor Edalat is a vocal opponent of economic sanctions against Iran. CCS has written to the Head of the Iranian Judiciary requesting regular access to his family, a lawyer and provision for any needed medical attention. Additionally, CCS has requested that he be released, immediately and unconditionally, if not charged with a recognizable criminal offense.
May 3, 2018
Ayatollah Sadegh Larijani
Head of the Judiciary
c/o Public Relations Office
Number 4, Deadend of 1 Azizi
Above Pasteur Intersection
Vali Asr Street
Tehran, Iran
Your Excellency:
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 Abbas Edalat, a dual British-Iranian citizen who is a computer scientist and mathematics professor at Imperial College in London, U.K. He was detained on April 15 by the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps. He is being held on “security charges,” reportedly accused of being part of a group of British spies, but, to our knowledge, no evidence supporting such a charge has been produced.
Professor Edalat is a vocal opponent of economic sanctions against Iran, and his detention may be due either to his peaceful political activities or is part of a wider crackdown on dual nationals.
We urge you to ensure that Abbas Edalat is given regular access to family, legal representation, and any medical attention necessary. If he is not to be charged with a recognizable criminal offense he should be released immediately and unconditionally.
We thank you for your attention to this most serious 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:
H.E. Gholamali Khoshroo
Permanent Representative of the Islamic
Republic of Iran to the United Nations
622 Third Avenue, 34th Floor
New York, NY 10017
Phone: (212) 687-2020
Fax: (212) 867-7086
Email: iran@un.int
Hassan Rouhani
President of the Islamic Republic of Iran
Pasteur Street, Pasteur Square
Tehran, Islamic Republic of Iran
Email: media@rouhani.ir
MESA’s Response to Arrest of Imperial College of London Professor – The Committee on Academic Freedom of the Middle East Studies Association (MESA) wrote Ayatollah Ali Khamenei on behalf of Professor Abbas Edalat, Iranian-British academic, who was arrested while attending an academic workship in Tehran on April 15, 2018. (Letter: https://mesana.org/advocacy/
