In a statement of solidarity with Omid Kokabee, 161 Iranian PhD students and graduates released an open letter demanding medical attention and due process for the imprisoned physics student. The signers included students from Tehran's Sharif University of Technology, MIT, Princeton, Johns Hopkins and Columbia, including several winners of International Science Olympiad ... Continue Reading>>
Kokabee Wins AAAS Award
As Petitions Delivered to Iran
The same day as human rights activists delivered 14,000 petition signatures, including 31 by Nobel Physics Laureates, for Omid Kokabee's release, the American Association for the Advancement of Science awarded him the prize for Freedom and Scientific Responsibility. Representatives of the human rights organization, including CCS co-chair Eugene Chudnovsky, also met with Iranian officials at the ... 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>>
Good News: Iran’s Supreme Court to
Reconsider Kokabee Case
Omid Kokabee’s attorney, Saeed Khalili, posted the news on his Facebook page that the Supreme Court of Iran has accepted his request for reconsideration of Omid’s case. The lawyer is confident about proving Kokabee’s innocence. It would appear that the court has vacated the sentence in effect at present. CCS is awaiting further confirmation of these hopeful developments before considering any ... Continue Reading>>
In Response to CCS Letter, DOE’s IG Will Investigate James Doyle’s Firing
The Department of Energy's Inspector General will investigate whether James E. Doyle, a political scientist employed at the Los Alamos National Laboratory, had been fired in retaliation for publishing an article in which he differed with US Government policy concerning nuclear weapons. The Administrator of the National Nuclear Safety Administration of the Department, Frank G. Klotz, in his letter ... Continue Reading>>
CCS Urges NSF to Re-examine Charge Against Professor
Dr. Frances A. Córdova Director National Science Foundation 4201 Wilson Boulevard, 1205 N Arlington VA 22230 Dear Dr. Córdova: We write now in concern for Dr. Valerie Barr. Barr, a Professor of Computer Science at Union College, was hired by NSF in 2013 for two years as program director in its Division of Undergraduate Education. A year later, according to ScienceInsider Magazine, she ... 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>>
Iranian Graduate Student’s Condition
Seriously Worsening in Prison
Omid Kokabee, an internationally recognized physicist serving a 10-year sentence in Iran, has not been allowed medical treatment outside Evin Prison despite his worsening kidney stone condition and stomach ailment, a source told the International Campaign for Human Rights in Iran. Kokabee, 33, who has not been allowed furlough once in the four years since his incarceration (a customary practice ... Continue Reading>>
CCS Protests Lack of Due Process In
Long Detention of Former Morsi Official
Khaled al-Quzzaz, an engineer and educator, was foreign relations secretary to former Egyptian President Mohamed Morsi. After Morsi was deposed by the Egyptian military, al-Quazzaz was arrested. He has been imprisoned in maximum security for over a year, over half of that in solitary confinement. We asked for the Egyptian government to provide him with due process, a fair trial and access to ... Continue Reading>>
Turkey Prosecutes Leaders of Organizations Involved in Gezi Protests, Scientists Included
Criminal trials have started against many of the organizations included in peaceful protests in 2011. Included are the leaders of associations of medical, engineering and architects. According to Amnesty International, the indictment charging these defendants does not contain any evidence of participation in or incitement to violence or any other criminal activity. CCS wrote to urge dismissal of ... Continue Reading>>