Dr. Taha al-Derazi, a prominent Neurosurgeon in Bahrain, was arrested and charged with "illegal gathering" due to his participation in a sit-in in Bahrain. Dr. al-Derazi is a member of the Bahrani Human Rights Obervatory, a group dedicated to monitoring human rights practices in Bahrain. He has been subjected in the past to repeated questioning by Bahrainian authorities, has been suspended from ... Continue Reading>>
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Omid Kokabee Released on Parole
Physicist Omid Kokabee, whose arrest and imprisonment in Iran galvanized the academic community for more than five years, has been granted parole by the Iranian court. Kokabee was born in Iran in 1982. At age 18 he was recognized for his extraordinary intellectual power in Iran’s nationwide college entrance exams. He graduated with degrees in Applied Physics and Mechanical Engineering from ... Continue Reading>>
NASA Scientist, Serkan Golge, Arrested Post‑Coup in Turkey
NASA scientist Serkan Golge, who has been employed as a senior research scientist with the American space program, was arrested in Turkey following the failed coup attempt and charged with espionage. He has been researching the health effects of time spent in space on the human body. The Committee of Concerned Scientists has been making inquiries in an attempt to have him released and to have ... Continue Reading>>
CCS Member Receives Surprise Award at the United Nations
Zafra Lerman was invited to be a delegate in a summit at the UN general assembly on July 17th. The summit was on “Where Science, Technology, and Innovation Meets Humanity to Transform the World.” She found she was the recipient of an award for Peace and Justice. Zafra was then able to make a presentation where she shared about her, very wonderful, Malta Conferences and her work using science as a ... Continue Reading>>
Chinese Human Rights Activist Attorney Released After Issuing Coerced Confession
Embed from Getty Images The Committee of Concerned Scientists welcomes the release on bail of the Chinese human rights lawyer, Wang Yu. We commend Wang Yu for her work on defending freedom of speech in China and express our sympathy to her in connection with the pressure she endured in prison. We respectfully ask Chinese authorities that all charges against Wang Yu be dropped at this ... Continue Reading>>
CCS Requests Help Addressing Mass Arrests, Detentions and Suspensions in Turkey
As many are aware, on June 15 there was a coup attempt in Turkey. The Committee of Concerned Scientists has denounced the attempt by the Turkish military to seize power from the democratically elected leaders. As an organization of scientists, physicians, engineers, and scholars, dedicated to protecting the human rights and scientific freedom of colleagues around the world, we also are greatly ... Continue Reading>>
Academic Community Severely Affected by Actions of Turkish Government Following Attempted Coup
Despite their lack of involvement and their opposition to any coup in Turkey, academics in Turkey have been severely affected by the actions of the Turkish government - universities shut down, staff suspended and terminated from their positions and some detained and arrested. Due process has not been followed and guilt or innocence doesn’t appear to make a difference in actions taken. CCS would ... Continue Reading>>
Wang Yu, Human Rights Attorney Awaiting Trial in China, Receiving ABA Award
American Bar Association earlier this month announced it is giving the organization’s first ever “International Human Rights Award” to Chinese human rights lawyer Wang Yu. CCS has advocated for Wang Yu’s release since she was detained in June 2015. Wang Yu and other human rights attorney’s were picked up by authorities a year ago and detained with no charges in undetermined places. Recently, ... Continue Reading>>
Academics and Scientists Severely Affected by Attempted Coup in Turkey
On July 15, 2016 a fraction of the Turkish military attempted to seize power from democratically elected leaders. Turkish citizens went to the streets and protested en masse. The democracy was saved but two hundred innocent people had died and over a thousand were injured. The Turkish government declared a state of emergency and began purging Turkish institutions from elements allegedly ... Continue Reading>>
Angolan Professor Arrested for Peaceful Activism
Dr. Domingos Da Cruz, an Angolan Professor of Law and Human Rights at the Universidade Independente de Angola was arrested on June 21, 2015 and charged with preparatory acts of rebellion and association with criminals (the other 13 activists who were also arrested the previous day). After being held for six months, and then released on house arrest for another four months, the case came to trial ... Continue Reading>>