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.
  • Home
  • About Us
    • Annual Reports
    • Contact Information
    • History
    • Leadership
  • CCS Active Case Updates
  • Human Rights Resources
    • Human Rights Orgs
    • General HR Res
    • US Govt Agencies
  • Donations

International Astronomy Olympiad Winner Jailed in Iran

May 21, 2020

Ali Younesi, a Computer Science Student at Sharif Industrial University in Tehran was arrested for unknown reasons on April 10th along with award winning Physics student, Amir-Hossein Moradi.  CCS has written the Chief Justice of Iran inquiring of their charge and current status.  A group of Nobel prize winners has also written to The United Nations High Commissioner on Human Rights to address this matter (attached).  Eugene Chudnovsky, Co-Chair of CCS has written an article in the Washington Examiner addressing this case (Link below).

May 21, 2020
 
Sayyid Ebrahim Raisol-Sadati
Chief Justice of Iran
Ministry of Justice of the Islamic Republic of Iran
1638 Vali-e Asr Avenue
South of Vali-e Asr Square
Tehran, Iran 14167-83595
Fax: 93-21-889-093-46
  
Dear Chief Justice Raisol-Sadati:
  
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 grave concern for Ali Younesi, a 20-year-old computer science student at Sharif Industrial University in Tehran, who was arrested on April 10 for unknown reasons. According to his sister and brother, Ali was arrested in his home by up to a dozen men and was hit in the head and bleeding when taken away.
  
Ali has a bright academic future – he won the gold medal at the International Astronomy Olympiad in 2018. Reportedly, another promising scholar, award winning physics student Amir-Hossein Moradi, has also been arrested.
  
The protection of the human rights of scientists and other academics, including students, is vital, and we seek to ensure that the rights of Ali Younesi and Amir-Hossein Moradi are respected.
  
Therefore, please clarify for us the reasons for these arrests.
  
We consider these young students to be our colleagues, and if there is not a legitimate legal justification for their arrests, then your government is obligated to release them immediately and unconditionally. Article 9 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, which your government has ratified, states clearly: “No one shall be subjected to arbitrary arrest or detention.”
  
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
Twitter: @Iran_UN
  
President of the Islamic Republic of Iran
Hassan Rouhani
The Presidency
Pasteur Street, Pasteur Square
Tehran, Islamic Republic of Iran
Email: media@rouhani.ir
Twitter: @HassanRouhani (English) and @Rouhani_ir (Persian)
 
 
Letter from Nobel winners:
 
Letter of Nobel Laureates to the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights on two arrested elite Iranian students
 
May 15, 2020
 
URGENT
 
Hon. Michelle Bachelet
United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights
Geneva, Switzerland
  
Dear Ms. Bachelet,
  
Re: Two students of Sharif University of Technology
  
As you are probably aware, the Iranian “judiciary” announced after 26 days of silence that Amir Hossein Moradi and Ali Younesi, two award-winning students at Sharif University of Technology in Tehran, had been arrested for their opposition to the Iranian regime.
  
Mr. Younesi won the gold medal of the 12th International Olympiad on Astronomy and Astrophysics in 2018. Earlier, he had won the silver and gold medals of the National Astronomy Olympiad in 2016 and 2017. Mr. Moradi also won the silver medal in the Olympiad on Astronomy and Astrophysics in 2017. They are accused of sympathizing with the PMOI/MEK opposition.
  
Terrified of another uprising, the Iranian regime finds no other option than resorting to intimidation and suppression of citizens.
  
Adding to the severity of the issue at this time is the spread of COVID-19 in Iranian prisons that exposes these and all other detainees to the deadly virus.
  
The practice of the Iranian security forces is to extort confessions with torture. Many experts on the Iranian human rights situation fear that the arrest of Ali Younesi and Amir Hossein Moradi will serve to prepare the ground for a widespread and brutal repression of all opponents, in particular of the student movement, which would amount to an egregious breach of human rights in the post‐Coronavirus months.
  
We, the Nobel Laureates signing this letter, urge you, to use your good offices in making every effort to ensure that political prisoners, in particular Ali Younesi and Amir Hossein Moradi, are released immediately.
  
Signatories:
Professor Barry Barish, Nobel Prize, Physics 2017, USA
Professor Thomas Cech, Nobel Prize, Chemistry 1989, USA
Professor Elias Corey, Nobel Prize, Chemistry 1990, USA
Professor Jerome Friedman, Nobel Prize, Physics 1986, USA
Professor Sheldon Glashow, Nobel Prize, Physics, 1979, USA
Professor John Lewis Hall, Nobel Prize, Physics 2005, USA
Professor John Mather, Nobel Prize, Physics 2006, USA
John Polanyi, Nobel Prize, Chemistry 1986, Canada
Professor Richard Roberts, Nobel Prize, Medicine 19
  
Dr. Chudnovsky’s Article: https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/opinion/iran-is-using-the-pandemic-as-cover-for-cracking-down-on-intellectuals

Filed Under: CCS Cases, Highlights, Iran Tagged With: Ali Younesi, Amir-Hossein Moradi, Astronomy Award, Computer Science Student, Moradi, Physics student, Younesi

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

Search Site

Generic selectors
Exact matches only
Search in title
Search in content
Search in posts
Search in pages
Filter by Categories
Additional Information
Angola
Annual Reports
Australia
Bahrain
Belarus
Belgium
Brazil
Bulgaria
Cameroon
CCS Board
CCS Cases
Chile
China
Colombia
Cuba
Egypt
Ethiopia
France
Germany
Good News
Greece
Highlights
History
Human Rights Resources
India
Iran
Iraq
Israel
Italy
Malaysia
Morocco
North America Issues
Pakistan
Pakistan
Palestinian Territories
Peru
Petitions
Poland
Press
Previous Highlights
Prominent Cases
Related Articles
Reports
Russia
Saudi Arabia
Spain
Sudan
Swaziland
Syria
Thailand
Turkey
Turkmenistan
Uganda
Ukraine
United Arab Emirates
United Kingdom
United Nations
United States
Uzbekistan
Venezuela
Vietnam

View Results in New Window...

Browse by Country

Archives

Join Us

Become a member of our humanitarian enterprise.

Sign up

Support CCS

Remember to register with AmazonSmiles as a donor to the Committee of Concerned Scientists. Then anytime you shop there CCS will receive a donation from Amazon. Since people spend a lot during this time of year it can benefit CCS greatly if you remember to do this. There is no additional cost to you.

FURTHER DIRECTIONS

Translate This Page

Click on the flags or use the menu below for a translation of this page.

[google-translator]

Press Enter to Search

Like us on Facebook

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

Copyright © 2023 • Concerned Sci Child Theme on Genesis Framework • WordPress • Log in