Achin Vanaik, noted writer and retired professor of political science at University of Delhi, was due to give a talk on the Israel-Palestine Conflict in the context of the current war at the Indian Institute of Technology Bombay on November 14, 2023. However, it was canceled due to student objections alleging a previous talk was antisemitic and ... Continue Reading>>
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Renowned Azerbaijani Political Economist Arrested Under Nebulous Pretenses Subject to Extended Pretrial Detention Despite Health Issues
Gubad Ibadoghlu, a research fellow at the London School of Economics and New University in Exile Consortium, is still detained in Azerbaijan under nebulous charges of currency fraud and connections to the Fethullah Gülen movement. His detainment has recently been extended to February 2024, and he is suffering from medical ... Continue Reading>>
CCS Receives Letter from the United States Ambassador to China
In October, the Committee wrote to Chinese President Xi Jinping regarding human rights lawyer Lu Siwei, who was barred from leaving China after receiving a fellowship in the United States. We CC'd the US Ambassador to China, Nicholas Burns, who sent us a reply. To read the letter addressed to President Xi Jinping, follow this ... Continue Reading>>
Prominent Endocrinologist in Turkey Sentenced to 7.5 Years in Prison for Alleged Affiliation with the Gülen Movement
Prominent Turkish endocrinologist Cihangir Erem was sentenced to 7.5 years in prison for alleged affiliation with the Gülen movement. His sentence was based on evidence consisting of routine activities such as using the services of a federally approved bank. He appears to be a target of political ... Continue Reading>>
United States denies visa to Afghan scholarship recipient
A nineteen-year-old Afghan student was twice denied an American visa despite admission to an American university alongside a scholarship covering all her expenses. When questioned about the reason for the denial, a spokesperson for the U.S. Department of State cited the Immigration and Nationality Act, which includes a requirement to prove one’s intention to leave the U.S. following the expiration ... Continue Reading>>
Renowned Scholar Pressured to Step Down After Calling for a Ceasefire in Gaza
Professor Nadera Shalhoub-Kevorkian, the Lawrence D. Biele Chair in Law at the Faculty of Law Institute of Criminology of the Hebrew University in Jerusalem, has been asked to step down after she signed the letter titled “Childhood researchers and students call for immediate ceasefire in Gaza”. CCS urges the administration of Hebrew University to show respect for academic freedom and the freedom ... Continue Reading>>
Two Prominent Russian Scientists Unfairly Sentenced to Penal Colony
Professors Valery Golbukin and Anatoly Gubanov were arrested, charged with high treason, and sentenced to 12 years in a penal colony for allegedly communicating hypersonic-related secrets to the ... Continue Reading>>
University of Zimbabwe student shares story of maximum-security prison experience
Earlier this year, Gamuchirai Chaburumunda was arrested and detained in a maximum-security prison for a month following a protest on campus. She and the other prisoners were treated horribly, and she is writing a book to share the story with the ... Continue Reading>>
Associate Professor of History at the Chinese University of Hong Kong Denied Entry into China and Subsequently Fired
Rowena He, Associate Professor of History at the Chinese University of Hong Kong, was recently denied a work visa renewal to continue her work, which has led to her being fired by the university. The denial of a visa and the firing appear to be retribution for alleged slander against the Chinese government, as reported by pro-government newspapers. The Committee is concerned that this incident is ... Continue Reading>>
UPDATE: Dr. Fariba Adelkhah returns to France after years in Iranian prison
French-Iranian academic Dr. Fariba Adelkah was released from an Iranian prison in February after years of detainment, but she was not permitted to leave the country until last week. She’d been arrested in 2019 upon accusations of of “propaganda against the Islamic Republic’s political system” and “collusion to undermine national security”. She has finally returned to ... Continue Reading>>