CCS wrote a letter to the Grand Ayatollah Ali Khamenei in response to the May 13th conviction of Omid Kokabee, an Iranian graduate student at the University of Texas, Austin. Kokabee was sentenced to 10 years in prison for "communicating with a hostile government". The letter stated that "there has been a tragic misunderstanding in this case, in which a promising young Iranian scientist was ... Continue Reading>>
Our Work
Ayatollah Khamenei Should Pardon Kokabee, CCS Says, Alleging "Tragic Misunderstanding"
CCS wrote a letter to the Grand Ayatollah Ali Khamenei in response to the May 13th conviction of Omid Kokabee, an Iranian graduate student at the University of Texas, Austin. Kokabee was sentenced to 10 years in prison for "communicating with a hostile government". The letter stated that "there has been a tragic misunderstanding in this case, in which a promising young Iranian scientist was ... Continue Reading>>
Iranian Graduate Student at Texas U/Austin Sentenced to 10-years for Espionage in Iran
Omid Kokabee an Iranian graduate student in physics who has been imprisoned in Tehran for the past 15 months, was sentenced to 10 years in jail for "communicating with a hostile government," according to a May 15 article in the publication "Nature." In a group trial of 10 or 15 people, where reportedly no evidence was presented against any of the accused, Kokabee and others were convicted of a ... Continue Reading>>
Russian Zoologist Gazaryan and Geologist Vitishenko Threatened with Criminal Charges for Environmental Protest
Fines and threat of criminal prosecution against these scientists appear to be aimed at intimidation, according to reports received by CCS, because both scientists protested state and local actions they believe violate Russian environmental laws. ... Continue Reading>>
Professor Al-Singace will get a new trial in Bahrain
The April 30th hearing for Professor Abdul Jail Al-Singace, a scholar of mechanical engineering at the University of Bahrain, resulted in a re-trial for Dr. Al-Singace and his co-defendants (including human rights activist Abdulhadi Al-Khawaja, who is currently on hunger strike). The date for the re-trial is not yet known. Dr. Al-Singace will have to remain in prison until the retrial. ... Continue Reading>>
Ronald Reagan’s Lessons for the Chen Guangcheng Case Can Still be Useful
China’s blind activist expertly used the power of the U.S. to magnify his cause. Here’s how Obama should keep up the pressure: by taking a page from Ronald Reagan’s dealings with Russia. by Walter Reich, CCS Co-chair “Give me a lever long enough and a fulcrum on which to place it, and I shall move the world.” That’s what Archimedes, the Greek mathematician, said 2,300 years ago. And that’s what ... Continue Reading>>
Astrophysicist Fang Lizhi, Chinese Activist, Member of CCS Advisory Board, Dies at 76
It is with great sadness that we report the death on April 6, 2012 of our distinguished colleague and Advisory Committee member Fang Lizhi of the University of Arizona. Dr. Fang was a brilliant astrophysicist and influential proponent of human rights in his native China. His political ideals inspired the pro-democracy student movement in China that eventually resulted in the protests at ... Continue Reading>>
Grant US Asylum to Blind Chinese lawyer, CCS Urges Secretary of State Clinton
Chen Guangcheng, a self-taught Chinese advocate for families forced to undergo sterilization and abortions, was imprisoned for four years and subsequently detained in his house and mistreated without charges for 19 months. After a dramatic escape, Chen Guangcheng sought refuse in the US embassy in Beijing. CCS urges US authorities to grant asylum to Chen and to his family. ... Continue Reading>>
Al-Singace Appeal Held on April 30 in Bahrain
Professor Abdul Jail Al-Singace, a scholar of mechanical engineering at the University of Bahrain and Director of the Human Rights Bureau of the Haq Movement for Civil Liberties and Democracy, an opposition political movement, was sentenced to life in prison in 2011 because of his reporting on human rights abuses in Bahrain. The government is hearing his appeal on April 30. CCS has written two ... Continue Reading>>
Travel Ban Based on Speech by Another Draws Protest
Chinese authorities prevented Gu Chuan, a blogger and editor, from traveling to the US to accept Columbia University's invitation as a visiting scholar. According to Scholars at Risk, the reason was another Chinese individual's critical remarks while visiting the US. CCS protested this double violation of international protection of travel and speech. ... Continue Reading>>