Abduweli Ayup, an Uyghur linguist and graduate of University of Kansas, hoped to open a kindergarten to promote education in Uyghurs native language. When he and his associates attempted to raise funds for this venture, they were arrested for "illegally fundraising." Relatives of Ayup have no information as to his whereabouts, even though they heard reports that he is in poor health in jail and ... Continue Reading>>
Revocation of Degree Four Years Later Leads to Protest by Vietnamese Academics
Hanoi National University of Education awarded Do Thi Thoan a Masters Degree in 2010, after it received the highest possible evaluation. In 2014, another committee revoked the degree without explanation to Ms. Thoan. Her research adviser was fired. Suspecting politics, almost 300 Vietnamese academics, in Vietnam and abroad, protested the lack of due process in revoking the degree. CCS joined in ... Continue Reading>>
Jailed Uyghur Professor’s Family in Beijing Is Harassed by Police, Daughter Testifies
The wife of Ilham Tohti, who was arrested and charged with separatism (see our letter), cannot access his bank account since his arrest, Tohti's daughter told the Congressional-Executive Commission on China. Tohti's young children are traumatized by police harassment, she said, especially after witnessing mistreatment of her father. CCS urges authorities to end to restrictions on Tohti's ... Continue Reading>>
Egyptian’s Criticism of NGOs Guilty Verdict
Leads to Charging Him of Insulting Judiciary
Dr. Amr Hamzawy, a professor of political science at Cairo University and of public policy at the American University in Cairo, faces criminal charges in Egypt for expressing his opinions on Twitter. He wrote that he found shocking and obviously political a verdict against 43 employees of Western-based civil society groups. The employees were found guilty of "receiving illegal funds" and ... Continue Reading>>
Respond to UN Amouee Report,
CCS Request to Iran’s Authorities
Bahman Ahmadi Amouee, an Iranian economist and journalist, was arrested and imprisoned in June 2009 for alleged anti-state activities and was sentenced to seven years and four months imprisonment and 34 lashes. On January 27, 2014, the United Nations (UN) Working Group on Arbitrary Detention issued an opinion, based in part on information provided by CCS, requesting the Iranian government release ... Continue Reading>>
Advocate for Uighur Minority in China Arrested, Taken to Undisclosed Location
Dr. Ilham Tohti, a Professor of economics at the Central Minorities University in Beijing was arrested after a raid of his apartment and materials in it. He had been previously harassed and threatened, allegedly to stop him from talking to foreign journalists. CCS wrote to Chinese authorities asking for Tohti to be treated with fairness and due process, including access to family and ... Continue Reading>>
CCS Urges Chinese Law School To Reinstate
Scholar, Advocates for Freedoms Under Constitution
Professor Zhang Xuezhong, a Professor of Law at East China University of Political Science and Law in Shanghai, was fired for "seriously violating teachers' professional ethics." Zhang, who has been an advocate for freedom of speech and association under the Chinese constitution, denied ever using his position as a teacher to promote his views. CCS wrote to the University President to protest what ... Continue Reading>>
Iran’s Human Rights Violations Detailed in Two Public Presentations
Iran: Silencing Scientists and Squelching Scholarship A November 16, 2013 open meeting in Washington DC Iran: Silencing Scientists and Squelching Scholarship, organized by: Amnesty International, Georgetown University Amnesty International, and the Georgetown University Science and Human Rights Group, was moderated by Jessica Wyndham of the AAS Scientific Responsibility, Human Rights and Law ... Continue Reading>>
Iran’s Human Rights Violations
Detailed in Two Public Presentations
Iran: Silencing Scientists and Squelching Scholarship A November 16, 2013 open meeting in Washington DC Iran: Silencing Scientists and Squelching Scholarship, organized by: Amnesty International, Georgetown University Amnesty International, and the Georgetown University Science and Human Rights Group, was moderated by Jessica Wyndham of the AAS Scientific Responsibility, Human Rights and Law ... Continue Reading>>
Highlights of 2013 Cases
During the past year, we have achieved some successes, and persevered in our struggle when we haven't. We welcomed some notable releases from jail – of Dr. Cyril Karabus in the United Arab Emirates, and of Drs. Kemal Guruz and Mehmet Haberal in Turkey. These were achieved after several years of advocacy by CCS and other science human rights organizations. The following summary of our ... Continue Reading>>