CCS urges authorities to end the prolonged persecution of a physicist convicted on terrorism-related charges in France over 16 years ago. Even though he served his sentence and has since contributed positively to the scientific community, he has faced restrictions and repeated expulsions from various countries, hindering his research career.
February 19, 2026
His Excellency Mr. Emmanuel Macron
President of the French Republic
Palais de l’Élysée
55 rue du Faubourg-Saint-Honoré
75008 Paris, France
Dear Mr. President,
The Committee of Concerned Scientists (CCS) is an independent human rights organization of scientists, physicians, engineers, and scholars. For over 50 years, it has been protecting and advancing the rights and scientific freedom of colleagues worldwide.
Today, we write to express our concern about the ongoing punishment of Algerian physicist, Adlène Hicheur, which began in France more than 16 years ago and has spread to other countries where he attempted to build his life and continue his research. In October 2009, he, a French citizen at the time, was arrested at his parents’ home in the Isère department and subsequently convicted on terrorism related charges. After being released from prison in 2012, he worked as a professor at the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro. In 2016, Brazilian authorities suddenly expelled him back to France despite protests from his colleagues and the university rector. In France, he was placed under house arrest for six months, then permitted to leave for Algeria, but banned from entering the Schengen Area, which prevented him from participating in established scientific collaborations. He moved from one job to another in different countries (most recently in Rwanda and Vietnam), every time asked by local authorities to leave the country following undisclosed information received from a foreign state. He currently resides in Algeria, with no income, and is trying to maintain his internationally recognized research.
We acknowledge that Adlène Hicheur made a serious error in judgment by communicating with a known terrorist organization many years ago. However, as far as we know, he has not been involved in any unlawful activity ever since. After serving a two-year sentence in France fourteen years ago, he established himself as a valuable member of the physics community. His prolonged suffering is disproportional to his past actions.
Mr. President, your respect for human rights is well known. It is regarded highly by this Committee. We ask you to stop the ongoing persecution of Adlène Hicheur, which extends beyond French borders, and to lift the Schengen entry ban imposed on him by France.
Please accept, Mr. President, the assurances of our highest consideration.
Sincerely,
Joel L. Lebowitz, Walter Reich, Eugene M. Chudnovsky, Alexander Greer
Co-Chairs, Committee of Concerned Scientists
CC:
Ambassador Laurent Bili
Embassy of France
4101 Reservoir Road NW
Washington, D.C. 20007