Herbert Berk, chair of the American Physical Society's Committee on International Freedom of Scientists, writes an editorial in the Washington Post in support of Omid Kokabee. Berk writes soliciting wider support from the general public and government officials for his release. Omid Kokabee is a gifted graduate student in Physics who is languishing in an Iranian prison for refusing to participate ... Continue Reading>>
31 Nobel Physics Laureates Join Iran Petitions For Kokabee
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>>
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>>
CCS Regrets the Death of Andrew Sessler,
Advisory Board Member and Strong Supporter
Dr. Andrew Sessler, CCS Advisory Board member and the former director of Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, passed away on April 1, 2014 after a long illness. "Intensely concerned about human rights, Sessler focused on scientists caught in political situations beyond their control. He wrote letters in support of dissidents in the Soviet Union and other countries. He was active on boards and ... Continue Reading>>
Russian Winner of Sakharov Prize Writes Urging President Putin to Help Kokabee
Boris Altshuler, physicist and chairman of the NGO "Right of the Child", who won the 2013 Sakharov human rights prize together with Omid Kokabee, addressed a letter to President Vladimir Putin of the Russian Federation, suggesting that he appeal to Dr. Hassan Rouhani, President of Iran, requesting Omid Kokabee's release from prison so that the latter can pursue his studies at the University of ... Continue Reading>>
CCS Co-sponsors Program on the Human Rights of Scientists in Iran
CCS is co-sponsoring a program on human rights in Iran with Amnesty International: Iran: Silencing Scientists and Squelching Scholarship Saturday November 16, 2013 3:00 to 5:00 pm Georgetown University ICC Auditorium 37th and O Street NW Washington, DC 20007 Panelists include: Dr. Eugene Chudnovsky, Co-Chair of the Committee of Concerned Scientists and Distinguished Professor of Physics ... Continue Reading>>
Omid Kokabee, Boris Altshuler
Win APS Andrei Sakharov Prize
Omid Kokabee, a University of Texas graduate student currently imprisoned in Iran, has been awarded the American Physical Society's 2014 Andrei Sakharov Prize, which recognizes outstanding leadership and achievements of scientists in upholding human rights. Kokabee will share the honor with Dr. Boris Altshuler of the Russian Federation. The prize carries $10,000 for each winner. The APS press ... Continue Reading>>
In Spite of Protests, Peking University Expels Respected Economics Professor
In a letter to the President of Peking University Wang Enge, CCS urged cancellation of an upcoming faculty vote to expel University Professor Xia Yeiling for his support of free speech and constitutional government. Xia, a respected authority on economics, is a visiting professor at Stanford, but said that he wants to return to China to continue teaching. January 2013 Update Chinese ... Continue Reading>>