Nick Holdsworth, University World News, 06/11 — Russian scientists and intellectuals mounted a rare public protest on 6 June to voice their fears that research and freedom of enquiry are under threat from the Kremlin. Several thousand protesters gathered in Moscow on Saturday 6 June to highlight growing red tape and President Vladimir Putin's fear-driven agenda that has seen a leading private ... Continue Reading>>
Our Work
Saudi Court of Appeals Upholds
Flogging Sentence of Blogger
The Committee of Concerned Scientists appeals to fellow academics to protest this offense against human rights, international law and every humane standard that would subject Raif Badawi to multiple floggings for the offense of expressing his opinion. Take Action: Sign the Petition June 10, 2015 Dr. John L. Hennessy President of Stanford University Building 10, Stanford CA 94305-2061 Dr. ... Continue Reading>>
Academic Freedom is Under Assault, Well‑known Chinese Economist Tells CCS
Dr. Xia Yeliang, invited speaker at the March 2015 CCS Annual Meeting, described increasing repression on Chinese academic institutions under President Xi Yinping. Arrests, spying by students, politicized funding of the humanities, all show a determination by current authorities to prevent any influence in China of Western democratic ideas on students. Dr. Xia Yeliang is a visiting fellow at ... Continue Reading>>
CCS Calls for Due Process and Investigation Of Criminal Charges of Russian Nuclear Scientist
Update 5/28/2015 We understand that Dr. Golubev was arrested on April 22, 2015. Dr. Vladimir Golubev, a nuclear scientist formerly employed by the Russian Federal Nuclear Center, denies criminal charges of revealing classified materials at an international conference in 2013. Dr. Golubev states that the materials were published in scientific outlets before his presentation. CCS calls ... Continue Reading>>
Op-Ed on Omid Kokabee and Iran’s Uranium Enrichment Program
Iranian physicist Omid Kokabee has been kept in prison since 2011 for his refusal to work on laser enrichment of uranium. Read the op-ed by Eugene Chudnovsky, Distinguished Professor of Physics, City University of New York (CUNY), and CCS Co-chair in The Washington Examiner: On January 30, 2011, Omid Kokabee, 28, was about to board a flight to the United States at Tehran airport. He was returning ... Continue Reading>>
CCS Requests Chile President’s Support For Permanent Human Rights Commission
For over 30 years, the Committee has supported the family of Dr. Boris Weisfeiler, Professor of Mathematics at Penn State University, in their search for the truth concerning the disappearance of Weisfeiler while hiking in Chile during the Pinochet regime. Finally, classified documents concerning Weisfeiler in the US Embassy in Chile and in the US State Department were declassified, resulting in ... Continue Reading>>
Board Member Zafra Lerman to Discuss Malta Conferences and Science Diplomacy
On May 19, Zafra Lerman, winner of the 2015 AAAS Prize for Science Diplomacy and a long time active board member of CCS, will discuss the work of the Malta Conferences (see below for details on how to participate). CCS has supported this unusual biennial event that brings together scientists from countries of the Middle East, including Iran, Iraq, Israel, Palestine and many others, who are able to ... Continue Reading>>
UAE Visa Denial to NYU Professor Ross Prompts Letter of Inquiry to Pres. Sexton
Andrew Ross, a professor at NYU, had been studying and critiquing labor practices in the Gulf. Ross' research focused on alleged exploitation of migrant construction workers at NYU's proposed campus in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates (UAE). In March, his visa to continue his research was denied by UAE authorities. In view of NYU's agreement with UAE to respect to academic freedom at the proposed ... Continue Reading>>
Lengthy Hunger Strike by Bahraini Activist Protesting Prison Conditions Concerns Family
Dr. Abdul Jalil Al-Singace, a former professor of mechanical engineering and human rights activist, has been in jail under conditions he considers to be inhumane. His hunger strike has been ongoing since March 2nd, according to reports, and his family is gravely concerned about his health. CCS asked Bahraini authorities to investigate Dr. Al Singace's situation and prison conditions for ... Continue Reading>>
Sudden Transfer to Interrogation Ward of Omid Kokabee of Grave Concern
CCS is alerting Dr. Mohammad Javad Ardashir Larijani about this worrisome development in Kokabee's imprisonment, contradicting earlier suggestions that a pardon might be forthcoming. ... Continue Reading>>