March 14, 2022
To Whom It May Concern:
The Committee of Concerned Scientists is an independent organization of scientists, physicians, engineers, and scholars that has defended human rights and the scientific freedom of colleagues throughout the world for 50 years.
In recent days, there has been a world-wide discussion by scientists and the editorial boards of science journals on the question of whether they should continue to review and publish papers submitted by Russian and Belarusian scientists whose countries have been sanctioned by the United States and the European Union over the war on Ukraine.
This Committee has condemned Russian aggression against Ukraine: https://concernedscientists.org/2022/02/ccs-condemns-russias-military-operations-in-ukraine/. It has also published an open letter against the war on Ukraine, signed by thousands of Russian scientists and science journalists who are now being punished by the Russian government for their anti-war stance: https://concernedscientists.org/2022/02/an-open-letter-from-russian-scientists-and-science-journalists-against-the-war-with-ukraine/.
However, in the view of the Committee, the punishment of Russian and Belarusian scientists by science journals for the actions of the Russian and Belarusian governments is unwarranted. Such action would make science yet another casualty of the war.
It is the strong conviction of this Committee, developed over its half-century effort to protect the freedom of scientific speech, that science must transcend national borders. Limiting the free exchange of scientific information between countries because of the actions of their governments would create an extremely dangerous precedent.
Sincerely,
Joel L. Lebowitz, Paul H. Plotz, Walter Reich,
Eugene M. Chudnovsky, Alexander Greer
Co-Chairs, Committee of Concerned Scientists