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.

Russia forces Memorial human rights groups to close.

Russian human rights group International Memorial and its sister organization Human Rights Centre Memorial are being forced to close by Russian prosecutors for supposedly not labeling themselves “foreign agents”. They were founded by Nobel Peace Prize winner Andrei Sakharov and have been doing important work on preserving Russian historic documents and monitoring violations of human rights in Russia.

 

https://www.amnesty.org/en/latest/news/2021/11/russia-authorities-move-to-close-memorial-one-of-the-countrys-most-respected-human-rights-groups/

November 19, 2021

Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin
President of the Russian Federation
Ul.Ilyinka, 23
103132 Moscow,
Russian Federation
Fax: +7 495 9102134
Twitter: @KremlinRussia

Dear President Putin:

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.

This communication involves the human rights group International Memorial and its sister organization, the Human Rights Centre Memorial. On November 11 and 12, 2021, the Russian Prosecutor General’s Office requested that Russia’s Supreme Court liquidate the Russian organizations Memorial International and Memorial Human Rights Centre. They have been accused of violating government requests to label themselves “foreign agents,” a highly questionable designation, since their purpose is to preserve Russian historic documents and monitor violation of human rights in Russia. These accusations appear especially egregious because these organizations were founded by Andrei Sakharov, and their work has been conducted by his followers.

The Committee is concerned that these actions by the Prosecutor General stem from the desire to erase the memory of oppressions during the Soviet era and hide human rights violations that occur in Russia today. We urge you to repeal these decisions against the Memorial organizations and to ensure that they be allowed to operate freely in the country.

Thank you for your attention to this serious matter. We will closely follow 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:
Antony J. Blinken, Secretary of State
U.S. Department of State
2201 C Street, N.W.
Washington, D.C. 20520
Phone: (202) 647-4000
Twitter: @ABlinken

Ambassador Anatoly Antonov
Embassy of the Russian Federation
2650 Wisconsin Avenue, N.W.
Washington, D.C. 20007
Phone: (202) 298-5700
Fax: (202) 298=5735
Email: rusembusa@mid.ru
Twitter: @mfa_russia

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

Committee of Concerned Scientists

Public Affairs and Administrative Office
Carol Valoris, Executive Director
PO Box 3708 Silver Spring, MD  20918
Phone: (202) 812-8074
carolvaloris@concernedscientists.org