An appeal hearing on January 7, 2013 in the case of engineer and human rights activist Dr. Abduljalil Al-Singace would give Bahraini authorities a chance to reverse a life sentence that is based solely on his expression of opinion, according to CCS and other human rights groups that have been advocating for Al-Singace since his arrest in 2011. ... Continue Reading>>
Arrest of Environmentalist on Murder Charges May be Attempt of Further Intimidation, CCS Says
The Committee of Concerned Scientists wrote on behalf of Russian zoologist and environmental activist Suren Gazaryan and geologist Evgeny Vitishenko in May 2012 to protest criminal charges designed to retaliate for environmental inspections. Those charges resulted in a three-year suspended sentence for Dr. Gazaryan. In August 2012, Dr. Gazaryan was charged with attempted murder of a security ... Continue Reading>>
Jack Minker Gave Talk on His Memoir
Dr. Jack Minker, CCS Vice-Chair for Computer Science and University of Maryland Professor Emeritus, gave a talk about his recently published memoir, Scientific Freedom & Human Rights: Scientists of Conscience During the Cold War, at the University of Maryland on October 3. Minker's book documents his work in human rights with CCS and other human rights organizations from 1972 to the ... Continue Reading>>
Iranian Women Banned from Many Areas of University Study
According to an August 21 press statement by Victoria Nuland of the US Department of State, 36 universities in Iran have banned women from studying in 77 critical fields, including nuclear physics, computer science, engineering and education. The Committee of Concerned Scientists urges the Iranian government to lift these restrictions. ... Continue Reading>>
Sign Petition on Behalf of Kemal Gürüz
In July, we protested the arrest of one of Turkey’s most prominent academic reformers, Kemal Gürüz, who was arrested and jailed for the second time based on charges of participation in a 1997 plot. He is a retired chemical engineer and former president of both the Turkish of Higher Education Council (YÖK) and the Turkish science-funding agency TÜBITAK. The move was condemned by human-rights ... Continue Reading>>
Student Leader in Sudan Released
We welcome news of the release from jail of Mohammed Salah Mohammed, a chemistry student in his final year at the faculty of science at the University of Khartoum, Sudan. CCS wrote protesting his arrest on June 24, after non-violent student demonstrations in which he participated. Mohammed is the spokesperson of the Sudanese Student Democratic Front and president of the Nubian regional student ... Continue Reading>>
Russian Professors Sentenced for Spying: CCS Questions Due Process of Closed Trial
Following up on its letter of 2010, CCS wrote to President Putin protesting the due process followed when Professors Svyatoslav Bobyshev and Yevgeny Afanasyev of Baltic State Technical University were sentenced to 12 years each for spying for China. The sentences were reportedly handed down in a closed trial. These accusations stem from a cooperative relationship Baltic State Technical University ... Continue Reading>>
University Student Arrested in Sudan
CCS requests the release of Mohammed Salah Mohammed, a student leader at the University of Khartoum's Faculty of Science. According to reports by Amnesty International, he was arrested after he participated in peaceful protests. He is being held without charge. Read our letter to the government of Sudan: ... Continue Reading>>
Prominent Turkish Academic Kemal Gürüz Detained: CCS Asks for His Immediate Release on Bail
One of Turkey's most prominent academic reformers, Kemal Gürüz, was arrested and jailed for the second time based on charges of participation in a 1997 plot. He is a retired chemical engineer and former president of both the Turkish of Higher Education Council (YÖK) and the Turkish science-funding agency TÜBITAK.The move was condemned by human-rights activists and some Turkish scientists, who say ... Continue Reading>>
Petition for the Release of Omid Kokabee
To: His Eminence Grand Ayatollah Ali Khamene'i The Supreme Leader The Islamic Republic of Iran, Tehran Sponsored By: Committee of Concerned Scientists Your Eminence: The Committee of Concerned Scientists, an independent organization of scientists, physicians, engineers and scholars devoted to the protection and advancement of human rights and scientific freedom for colleagues all over the ... Continue Reading>>