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.

Teacher At Belarusian State University Sentenced to 12 Days in Prison for Protest Attendance

Dr. Alexander Tykun was sentenced to imprisonment for 12 days in an undisclosed location after a trial which neither his wife nor his lawyer were allowed to attend.

October 14, 2020

Alexander Grigoryevich Lukashenko
President of the Republic of Belarus
Independence Palace, Parspiekt Pieramozcau Avenue
Minsk, Republic of Belarus
Fax: +375 17 226 06 10

Dear President Lukashenko:
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 over the recent charges of “violation of the procedure for organizing or holding mass events” against Dr. Alexander Tykun. He was sentenced to imprisonment for 12 days in an undisclosed location after a trial which neither his wife nor his lawyer were allowed to attend.
Dr. Tykun is a member of the Faculty of Mechanics and Mathematics of the Belarusian State University, where he also completed his doctorate. He is popular in Belarus for his participation in the KVN humor TV show and for writing scripts for various TV shows.
Dr. Tykun has been detained since October 4 after participating in a peaceful protest that day. We are concerned that he is facing charges just for expressing his views. Additionally, it was reported that Dr. Tykun was not allowed to use his medication for hypertension while in prison. His prosecution appears to be an example of a recurring pattern of charges leveled against academics without any legitimate explanation.
We write to urge you to ensure that Dr. Tykun is treated fairly, considering his health and the COVID-19 pandemic.
Thank you for your attention to this serious matter. The Committee of Concerned Scientists will be closely following all developments in this case.
Sincerely,
signatures
Joel L. Lebowitz, Paul H. Plotz, Walter Reich, Eugene M. Chudnovsky, Alexander Greer
Co-Chairs, Committee of Concerned Scientists

cc.:
Ambassador Oleg Kravchenko,
Embassy of the Republic of Belarus
1619 New Hampshire Avenue, N.W.
Phone: 1 202 986-1606 I Fax: 1 202 986-1805
Email: usa@mfa.gov.by

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

Committee of Concerned Scientists

c/o Alexandra R. Bender, Executive Director
P.O. Box 273
Mountainhome, PA 18342
abender@concernedscientists.org