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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CCS Suggests Iran Free Ahmadreza Djalali to Work on Coronavirus Problem

March 18, 2020

Ayatollah Ali Khamenei
Supreme Leader of the Islamic Republic of Iran
c/o Majid Takht-Revanche, Ambassador
Permanent Mission of the Islamic Republic of Iran to the United Nations
622 Third Avenue, 34th Floor, P.O. Box: 20432
New York, NY 10017
Email: mailto:iran@un.int, Fax: 212-687-2020

Your Excellency Ayatollah Ali Khamenei:

The Committee of Concerned Scientists is an International Organization of Scientists, Scholars, and Physicians.

At this difficult time our hearts go out to the Iranian people that have been affected by the coronavirus pandemic. Governments all over the world are mobilizing their best medical minds in the effort to fight the pandemic.

Iran could greatly benefit from utilizing the expertise of Dr. Ahmadreza Djalali who is an internationally recognized leader in the area of disaster medicine. His contribution to the fight against the pandemic would be invaluable for your country.

Dr. Djalali, himself, sees this as his duty and is eager to work selflessly for his country to help it to overcome this disaster but, unfortunately, he cannot do so because he is confined to Evin prison. Last year 124 Nobel laureates appealed to you on his behalf.

We respectfully ask that you pardon Dr. Djalali and allow him to join the effort against the coronavirus pandemic.

With our best wishes of good health to all Iranian people,

Sincerely,

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

Co-Chairs, Committee of Concerned Scientists

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