Committee of Concerned Scientists https://concernedscientists.org/ An international non-profit organization of scientists, physicians, engineers and scholars dedicated to protecting the human rights and scientific freedom of our colleagues around the world. Tue, 18 Aug 2026 14:14:00 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=7.0.4 https://i0.wp.com/concernedscientists.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/03/cropped-64x64%40512px.png?fit=32%2C32&ssl=1 Committee of Concerned Scientists https://concernedscientists.org/ 32 32 59910430 University Lecturer Charged with Terrorism for Encouraging Protests https://concernedscientists.org/2026/08/university-lecturer-charged-with-terrorism-for-encouraging-protests/ Tue, 18 Aug 2026 14:13:58 +0000 https://concernedscientists.org/?p=10941 Melkisedeki Kaijage, an assistant lecturer at Dodomo University in Tanzania, was detained for two weeks, then charged with terrorism just when they were about to release him on bail. There is no publicly available evidence that this academic lecturer who hopes to be a Ph.D. candidate one day, is a terrorist.

The post University Lecturer Charged with Terrorism for Encouraging Protests appeared first on Committee of Concerned Scientists.

]]> 10941 U.S. Seismologist Detained by China for Alleged Espionage Charges https://concernedscientists.org/2026/07/u-s-seismologist-detained-by-china-for-alleged-espionage-charges/ Mon, 27 Jul 2026 04:43:10 +0000 https://concernedscientists.org/?p=10926 Chinese-born U.S. citizen and seismologist Youlin Chen was recently arrested for nearly two years and faces trial on accounts of espionage. These charges have raised concerns over U.S.-China relations. Chen’s ​work as a seismographer focuses on publishing U.S. funded work surrounding North Korean nuclear tests. This arrest of a US citizen contradicts China’s reputation for […]

The post U.S. Seismologist Detained by China for Alleged Espionage Charges appeared first on Committee of Concerned Scientists.

]]> 10926 Wildlife Conservationists in Iran Arrested Again for Studying Endangered Cheetah Species Two Years After Being Freed https://concernedscientists.org/2026/07/wildlife-conservationists-in-iran-arrested-again-for-studying-endangered-cheetah-species-two-years-after-being-freed/ Mon, 20 Jul 2026 03:08:41 +0000 https://concernedscientists.org/?p=10923 Wildlife conservationists Houman Jowkar and Sepideh Kashani, as well as Sima Kashani, the sister of Sepideh, were arrested on July 1, 2026. The conservationists were members of the now-defunct Persian Wildlife Heritage Foundation (PWHF) regarded for its years-long work on the critically endangered Asiatic cheetah (Acinonyx jubatus venaticus).

The post Wildlife Conservationists in Iran Arrested Again for Studying Endangered Cheetah Species Two Years After Being Freed appeared first on Committee of Concerned Scientists.

]]> 10923 Prominent Russian Philosopher Svetlana Mesyats, an Expert onAristotle, Placed Under House Arrest on Spurious Charges. Academics Worldwide Demand Her Release. https://concernedscientists.org/2026/06/prominent-russian-philosopher-svetlana-mesyats-an-expert-onaristotle-placed-under-house-arrest-on-spurious-charges-academicsworldwide-demand-her-release/ Fri, 26 Jun 2026 03:50:04 +0000 https://concernedscientists.org/?p=10912 Read more here:Open letter in Support of Svetlana Mesyats:https://philomatica.org/2026/05/open-letter-in-support-of-svetlana-messiats/

The post Prominent Russian Philosopher Svetlana Mesyats, an Expert onAristotle, Placed Under House Arrest on Spurious Charges. Academics Worldwide Demand Her Release. appeared first on Committee of Concerned Scientists.

]]> 10912 U.S. Scholar Detained in China for Alleged Espionage https://concernedscientists.org/2026/06/u-s-scholar-detained-in-china-for-alleged-espionage/ Mon, 22 Jun 2026 14:43:55 +0000 https://concernedscientists.org/?p=10907 University of California, Berkeley, PhD Candidate and ISP-Myanmar think tank founder Min Zin was recently arrested in China on charges that appear to be politically motivated. This arrest of a US citizen contradicts China’s reputation as a country that welcomes constructive international engagement. https://www.npr.org/2026/06/12/nx-s1-5856394/china-arrest-us-citizen-myanmar

The post U.S. Scholar Detained in China for Alleged Espionage appeared first on Committee of Concerned Scientists.

]]> 10907 Associate Professor at the Higher School of Economics in Russia Sentenced to 3.5 Years in Prison https://concernedscientists.org/2026/06/associate-professor-at-the-higher-school-of-economics-in-russia-sentenced-to-3-5-years-in-prison/ Mon, 08 Jun 2026 16:23:15 +0000 https://concernedscientists.org/?p=10904 Andrei Dymov, associate professor of the Higher School of Economics was sentenced on May 25, 2026 to 3.5 years in prison by the Zyuzinsky District Court in Russia for allegedly “financing extremist activities” by making, donations to the Anti-Corruption Foundation (FBK) in August 2021. The Committee is concerned by the extreme speed by which the […]

The post Associate Professor at the Higher School of Economics in Russia Sentenced to 3.5 Years in Prison appeared first on Committee of Concerned Scientists.

]]> 10904 Uyghur Scholar’s Unjust Imprisonment Continues https://concernedscientists.org/2026/05/uyghur-scholars-unjust-imprisonment-continues/ Sat, 23 May 2026 18:14:15 +0000 https://concernedscientists.org/?p=10897 Ghojaniyaz Yollugh Tekin was sentenced to prison in China, for providing academic research and teaching on the subject of Uyghur linguistics. Read more here, on Radio Free Asia

The post Uyghur Scholar’s Unjust Imprisonment Continues appeared first on Committee of Concerned Scientists.

]]> 10897 Prof. Eugene Chudnovsky Speaks at ICOIA Panel on Academic Freedom in Iran https://concernedscientists.org/2026/05/prof-eugene-chudnovsky-speaks-at-icoia-panel-on-academic-freedom-in-iran/ Fri, 15 May 2026 15:21:38 +0000 https://concernedscientists.org/?p=10894 Co-Chair Prof. Eugene Chudnovsky represented the Committee of Concerned Scientists at a panel organized by the International Community of Iranian Academics (ICOIA) in November 2025 on “Academic Freedom in Iran and the Role of International Organizations Supporting Scholars at Risk.” Watch the recording of the panel and his presentation 

The post Prof. Eugene Chudnovsky Speaks at ICOIA Panel on Academic Freedom in Iran appeared first on Committee of Concerned Scientists.

]]> 10894 Russian Hypersonic Physicists Sentenced to More Than 12 Years in Prison https://concernedscientists.org/2026/05/russian-hypersonic-physicists-sentenced-to-more-than-12-years-in-prison/ Wed, 13 May 2026 07:23:54 +0000 https://concernedscientists.org/?p=10891 Valery Zvegintsev (​Khristianovich Institute of Theoretical and ⁠Applied Mechanics) and Vladislav Galkin (Tomsk Polytechnic University), hypersonic physicists, aged 81 and 72 respectively were recently sentenced to more than 12 years in a penal colony for activities that are essential for scientific progress. These sentences follow almost 3 years in detention since their original arrest. Click […]

The post Russian Hypersonic Physicists Sentenced to More Than 12 Years in Prison appeared first on Committee of Concerned Scientists.

]]> 10891 Iran Executes 29-Year-Old Erfan Shakourzadeh, Graduate of the Iran University of Science and Technology in Tehran https://concernedscientists.org/2026/05/iran-executes-29-year-old-erfan-shakourzadeh-graduate-of-the-iran-university-of-science-and-technology-in-tehran/ Wed, 13 May 2026 07:11:07 +0000 https://concernedscientists.org/?p=10888 Read more below: https://www.iranintl.com/en/202605117223 https://www.cbsnews.com/news/iran-hangs-grad-student-accused-spying-cia-mossad

The post Iran Executes 29-Year-Old Erfan Shakourzadeh, Graduate of the Iran University of Science and Technology in Tehran appeared first on Committee of Concerned Scientists.

]]> 10888