9th December, 2018 Ayatollah Ali Khamenei Supreme Leader of the Islamic Republic of Iran Via the Permanent Mission of the Islamic Republic of Iran to the United Nations 622 Third Avenue, 34th Floor New York, NY 10017 Dear Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei: In November 2017, and again in February 2018 I wrote on behalf of a consortium of Nobel Laureates about the plight of a ... Continue Reading>>
Update on Status of Dr. Ahmadreza Djalali
Dr. Ahmadreza Djalali, Physician/Professor and lecturer in Emergency Medicine and resident of Sweden had been arrested in Iran in April 2016, charged with espionage, and sentenced to death for “collaboration with a hostile government”. CCS, along with numerous other human rights groups and governments of several countries, have called for dismissal of the charges against him and his immediate ... Continue Reading>>
Four Conservation Scientists Arrested In Iran Charged with Capital Offenses
Taher Ghadirian, Houman Jowkar, Morad Tahbaz and Niloufar Bayani were charged with capital offenses, that could result in their execution, for their work monitoring rare and disappearing whildlife using camera traps. Two of the three scientists serve on the International Union for Conservation of Nature, all four are widely respected. Five other scientists were similarly arrested and charged - ... Continue Reading>>
Iranian Teacher Arrested in Classroom in Front of His Students
Mohammad Habibi, a 29 year-old teacher, was arrested on March 3, 2018 in front of his students by the Revolutionary Guards. Habibi has since been sentenced for 10.5 years in prison for “gathering and colluding to commit crimes against national security,” “spreading propaganda against the system,” and “disturbing public order.” Habibi is an active member of the Iranian Teachers’ Trade ... Continue Reading>>
Environmental Scientists Being Detained In Iran and Accused of Spying
Several environmental scientists have been arrested in Iran and accused of spying on nuclear facilities. One of the scientists, an American citizen Morad Tahbaz, graduate of Columbia University, is co-founder of the Persian Wildlife Heritage Foundation. Members of the Foundation have openly opposed installation of underground nuclear and missile launch facilities on protected lands. Its managing ... Continue Reading>>
UN Working Group on Arbitrary Detention Rules That Iran Has Violated Xiyue Wang’s Rights And He Should Be Released
On August 7, 2016 Mr. Wang, while completing research on his PhD dissertation, was detained in solitary confinement for 18 days and has been imprisoned since that date. He was sentenced on July 16, 2017 to ten years for ‘collaboration with a hostile state’ and “espionage”. Mr. Wang’s physical and emotional health has been deteriorating over this time: denied proper medical care and subjected ... Continue Reading>>
Narges Mohammadi Again Rushed to Hospital for Emergency Medical Care
Narges Mohammadi, Iranian Physicist and human rights advocate was again rushed to a hospital for emergency care while serving an 18-year sentence for her work advocating for women’s rights in Iran. On July 3 Mohammadi had gallbladder surgery and was taken back to prison. A few days later she began having convulsions and seizures and was taken back to the hospital. CCS has written President ... Continue Reading>>
Oxford Doctoral Student Arrested in Iran for Unspecified Reasons
Mohammadreza Jalaleipour, a 34-year-old Ph.D. Student at Oxford University was arrested in Iran on April 18, 2018. He has had brief phone calls to his family, and no access to an attorney. The cause is unknown at this time. In 2009 Jalaeipour was detained for several months following the presidential election but was never prosecuted. Of concern is that Jalaleipour’s father is a member of the ... Continue Reading>>
Human Rights Groups Write United Nations Rapporteurs Requesting Review of Djalali Case
Dr. Ahmadreza Djalali is still sentenced to death in Iran for espionage, according to the Iranian authorities. Many human rights organizations have written directly to the Ayatollah and the President requesting dismissal of his case and his release. Many have now requested the United Nations Special Rapporteurs intercede on his behalf and at a minimum dismiss the death sentence he faces. CCS’ ... Continue Reading>>
Iranian Politial Scientist Arrested for Comments Made During Public Interview
Sadegh Zibakalam, a political scientist at the University of Tehran and Islamic Azad University was arrested following a January 2018 interview regarding the December 2017 protests. He was interviewed by the Deutsche Welle Persian Service, a broadcaster that has been banned in Iran. This interview led to an 18 month sentence for “spreading propaganda against the establishment and the dissemination ... Continue Reading>>