The Department of Energy's Inspector General will investigate whether James E. Doyle, a political scientist employed at the Los Alamos National Laboratory, had been fired in retaliation for publishing an article in which he differed with US Government policy concerning nuclear weapons. The Administrator of the National Nuclear Safety Administration of the Department, Frank G. Klotz, in his letter ... Continue Reading>>
Our Work
CCS Urges NSF to Re-examine Charge Against Professor
Dr. Frances A. Córdova Director National Science Foundation 4201 Wilson Boulevard, 1205 N Arlington VA 22230 Dear Dr. Córdova: We write now in concern for Dr. Valerie Barr. Barr, a Professor of Computer Science at Union College, was hired by NSF in 2013 for two years as program director in its Division of Undergraduate Education. A year later, according to ScienceInsider Magazine, she ... Continue Reading>>
CCS Joins International Outcry
At Life Sentence for Ilham Tohti
After a two-day trial closed to the public, Professor Ilham Tohti, an advocate for China’s Uighur minority, was sentenced to life in prison for “separatism,” a charge he denies. In addition, the court ordered all of his assets confiscated, leaving his family in severe economic distress. The trial appears to have denied him an opportunity for proper defense, according to his lawyers, and to be ... Continue Reading>>
Nobel Laureates Call for Release of Iranian Physicist : Nature News Blog
Eighteen Physics Nobel laureates have signed an open letter addressed to Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, calling for the release of Omid Kokabee, a 32-year-old physicist who has spent the last 3 years and 8 months in a Teheran prison. The letter is a joint initiative by Amnesty International; the Committee of Concerned Scientists (CCS), an international human-rights organization ... Continue Reading>>
Iranian Graduate Student’s Condition
Seriously Worsening in Prison
Omid Kokabee, an internationally recognized physicist serving a 10-year sentence in Iran, has not been allowed medical treatment outside Evin Prison despite his worsening kidney stone condition and stomach ailment, a source told the International Campaign for Human Rights in Iran. Kokabee, 33, who has not been allowed furlough once in the four years since his incarceration (a customary practice ... Continue Reading>>
Professors Arrested in Egypt
According to news reports, Professors Mostafa Zidan and Magdy Khalifa were arrested in Egypt on charges of belonging to the now outlawed Muslim Brotherhood. Both academics are on hunger strikes in protest of their conditions, including ill treatment and harsh conditions. The allegation of harsh treatment and the resulting hunger strikes seem to imply that rights have not been granted, rights which ... Continue Reading>>
Kokabee Denied Medical Care in Jail
Moved to Inhumane Prison Quarantine
Omid Kokabee, the graduate student at Texas University/Austin who has been imprisoned in Iran since 2011, has been denied medical care for kidney and stomach problems and was recently transferred to Evin Prison’s quarantine without basis, according to the International Campaign for Human Rights in Iran. We reproduce the Campaign’s article of September 4, 2014 in full below. CCS has been ... Continue Reading>>
CCS Joins Science Organizations
In Protest of DOE Firing Scientist
Colleagues protested the firing of James E. Doyle, a political scientist with 17 years of employment with the Department of Energy's Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL) after he published an article written on his own time and with his personal views that questioned US nuclear weapons policy. The agency, that had reviewed the article before publication, claimed that material that had not been ... Continue Reading>>
Ilham Tohti, Arrested in January
Now Charged with Separatism
On July 30, prosecutors announced online that Ilham Tohti, a professor at Central Minorities University in Beijing, had been formally charged with separatism, a crime which carries a potential death penalty. Tohti, an economics professor of economics and advocate for the rights of the Chinese Uighur minority, was arrested on January 15, 2014 and held incommunicado until late June. Tohti's ... Continue Reading>>
CCS Protests Lack of Due Process In
Long Detention of Former Morsi Official
Khaled al-Quzzaz, an engineer and educator, was foreign relations secretary to former Egyptian President Mohamed Morsi. After Morsi was deposed by the Egyptian military, al-Quazzaz was arrested. He has been imprisoned in maximum security for over a year, over half of that in solitary confinement. We asked for the Egyptian government to provide him with due process, a fair trial and access to ... Continue Reading>>