As a culmination of efforts to obtain the release of Omid Kokabee, the physics graduate student imprisoned in Iran on unsubstantiated charges, at 10:30 AM Tuesday October 28, the Committee of Concerned Scientists, Amnesty International and the International Campaign for Human Rights in Iran will deliver thousands of petitions, including the Nobelists' letter, to the Iran UN Mission in New York. ... Continue Reading>>
Our Work
France’s Science Academy Gold Medal Honors Work and Life of Joel Lebowitz
The Academie des Sciences of the Institute of France awarded its 2014 Grande Medaille, its highest distinction, to Joel Lebowitz, Director of the Rutgers Center for Mathematical Sciences Research and co-chair of the Committee of Concerned Scientists, calling him "a man of science and peace." Besides his prominence as a world leader in statistical physics, the citation describes Lebowitz, the only ... Continue Reading>>
Doctor’s Estimate About Epidemic
Leads to Threat of Terrorist Charge
Doctors in Venezuela warned that an outbreak of a mosquito-borne disease in Venezuela could lead to a wider epidemic, as it had in other South American nations. The government accused one doctor of "psychological terrorism" and threatened him with prosecution, forcing him to flee the country. Representatives of the medical profession characterized the threats as part of a campaign against their ... Continue Reading>>
Good News: Iran’s Supreme Court to
Reconsider Kokabee Case
Omid Kokabee’s attorney, Saeed Khalili, posted the news on his Facebook page that the Supreme Court of Iran has accepted his request for reconsideration of Omid’s case. The lawyer is confident about proving Kokabee’s innocence. It would appear that the court has vacated the sentence in effect at present. CCS is awaiting further confirmation of these hopeful developments before considering any ... Continue Reading>>
Malaysian Law Professor’s Remarks
On Crisis Lead to Sedition Charges
Azmi Sharom, an associate professor of law at the University of Malaysia Faculty of Law compared an ongoing political crisis to a situation in 2009 and criticised the secrecy with which the issue was treated. He is being prosecuted for sedition. CCS requested that to the extent his statements were made in respect to his professional competence as a legal scholar, the charges should be dropped as ... Continue Reading>>
In Response to CCS Letter, DOE’s IG Will Investigate James Doyle’s Firing
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>>
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>>