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Ronald Reagan’s Lessons for the Chen Guangcheng Case Can Still be Useful

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China’s blind activist expertly used the power of the U.S. to magnify his cause. Here’s how Obama should keep up the pressure: by taking a page from Ronald Reagan’s dealings with Russia.

by Walter Reich, CCS Co-chair

“Give me a lever long enough and a fulcrum on which to place it, and I shall move the world.” That’s what Archimedes, the Greek mathematician, said 2,300 years ago. And that’s what Chen Guangcheng, the blind rights lawyer who escaped house arrest in rural China in a dash to the U.S. Embassy in Beijing, tried to do.

Chen’s lever was the nobility of his cause to protect Chinese women from forced abortions and sterilizations. That lever was made long by friends who used social media and a Congressional hearing to highlight that cause.

The fulcrum he used was American power—the presence in China of the American secretaries of State and Treasury, there to negotiate matters of security and trade.

Our Previous Activities

Grant US Asylum to Blind Chinese lawyer, CCS Urges Secretary of State Clinton

Learn More

Published in The Daily Beast

Why Help Chen Guangcheng?, The Chronicle of Higher Education, May 8, 2012

And the world that Chen moved—the world of international affairs—was one that would have ignored him and his cause had he not suddenly placed his long lever on that temporary but solid fulcrum.

It may well be that, in the end, that world will win. The brute power of a China intent on controlling its people may rob Chen of his lever, his fulcrum, and his fleeting chance to move the world. It now looks as if he’ll be allowed to leave for the U.S., ostensibly to study, and to take his immediate family with him—a face-saving solution for both China and the U.S., with no guarantee of safety for his extended family and his supporters.

In his dealings with China, President Obama should raise the cause of human rights to the highest level.

But it doesn’t have to be that way. And here President Obama has something to learn from one of his predecessors, President Reagan.

Reagan and Gorbachev in Switzerland

President Reagan's first meeting with Soviet General Secretary Gorbachev during the Geneva Summit in Switzerland, 1985

In 1986, Reagan orchestrated the release of Anatoly Scharansky, a prominent Soviet dissident, from a Siberian labor camp. International pressure laid the groundwork, and diplomats helped, but what the president did was crucial. After he got out, Scharansky said: “They tried their best to find a place where I was isolated. But all the resources of a superpower cannot isolate the man who hears a voice of freedom, a voice I heard from the very chamber of my soul.” Scharansky’s voice was magnified, Reagan kept up the pressure, the human rights of Russians were strengthened, and the world was changed.

Chen Guangcheng can’t see, but in the chamber of his soul he’s heard that same voice of freedom. And now he pleads its cause for the people of China. In his dealings with China, President Obama should raise the cause of human rights to the highest level. At the very least he should insist that none of Chen’s extended family, and none of the colleagues who helped him, are punished. And he should make it clear to the Chinese authorities that he’ll never abandon the human rights of their people.

That land needs Chen’s voice, even from abroad; these days, it can be magnified by social media. And so does the cause of decency in the hard-headed world of international affairs. It’s a world that can be moved for the good, but only if the ancient wisdom of Archimedes is heeded. The lever of dissent has to be long, and the fulcrum—the immovable determination of the American president—has to be steady.

Walter Reich is the Yitzhak Rabin Memorial Professor of International Affairs, Ethics and Human Behavior at George Washington University and former Director of the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum. He is also a Senior Scholar at the Woodrow Wilson Center and a Co-Chair of the Committee of Concerned Scientists, a human-rights organization.

©2011 The Newsweek/Daily Beast Company LLC


Chen Guangcheng Calls Rule of Law Essential in China for Human Rights

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US Ambassador Gary Locke with Chen Guangcheng, May 1, 2012

By the United States Department of State via Wikimedia Commons

Blind Chinese lawyer Chen Guangcheng, who is studying at NYU law school under asylum in the US, gave a talk on February 6, 2013, at the New School in New York City on “The Future of the Rule of Law and Human Rights in China.”

CCS had advocated on behalf of granting asylum to Chen in 2012, when he fled from house arrest and mistreatment by Chinese authorities to the US Embassy in Beijing. Chen had incurred the wrath of local authorities in Shandong province of by winning cases on behalf of local people who resisted illegal actions, including forced abortion, unlawful treatment of disabled persons, and by bringing a landmark class action against misappropriation of land for purposes of development.

In 2007, Chen received the Ramon Magsaysay Award for integrity and courage. His dramatic night-time escape on foot will be the subject of his forthcoming book.

Our Previous Activities

Ronald Reagan’s Lessons for the Chen Guangcheng Case Can Still be Useful

Grant US Asylum to Blind Chinese lawyer, CCS Urges Secretary of State Clinton

Inna Abramova, a graduate student in chemistry at Brooklyn College and a CCS intern, and Sophie Cook, Executive Director, heard Chen’s February 6 talk, which was under the auspices of the Center for Public Scholarship’s “University in Exile” series. We include our summary below.

The Future of the Rule of Law and Human Rights in China

By Chen Guangcheng, Jerome A. Cohen, & Ira Belkin

The New School, a center of intellectual and artistic freedom and tolerance that became a host to many endangered scholars, presented the fourth in the series “University of Exile,” introducing the activist lawyer Chen Guancheng, currently a visiting scholar at NYU School of Law. The event was dedicated to the human rights, social justice and the rule of law in China.

The conversation took place between Chen Guangcheng, Dr. Jerome Cohen, an expert on China and Chinese Law who was instrumental in negotiating for Chen Guangcheng’s release, and Dr. Ira Belkin, Executive Director of the US-Asia Law Center, who acted as interpreter.

One of the crucial questions confronting the new Chinese administration, Chen said, is the relationship between the Communist Party and Chinese legal institutions and whether there is a prospect of a revived interest in separating the Party from the courts. Before Tiananmen Square, the Communist Party and the courts were separate. This is no longer the case, he said.

Chen Guangcheng believes that there is a need to build a new society in China, characterized by fairness, social justice and openness, which calls for constitutional government, democracy and free speech and for the government to live up to its promises and Chinese laws. He identifies the problem facing the Chinese society as disobedience of the Chinese laws by Communist Party officials. “If the leaders acted appropriately, then everyone under the leadership wouldn’t dare to act inappropriately.”

Chen Guangcheng related the current case of his nephew, Chen Kegui, who was sentenced to 3 years and 3 months and is thought by many as an act of revenge for Chen’s escape and as a continuation of his own case. The case arose out of a break-in to Chen’s brother’s house by thugs Chen believes were hired by local authorities and Chen Kegui’s attempt to protect their home. Chen listed violations of Chinese law by local officials with respect to the trial of his nephew, including the right to self-defense, the right to lawyers, prosecution of the “intruders”, and the right to appeal. In talking about the trial, which wasn’t open to the public, Chen used a Chinese expression “If you’ve done nothing wrong, why don’t you let other people see it”. He also mentioned that part of the agreement between China and the US concerning his asylum had included a promise by the Chinese government to investigate the unfair trial of Chen himself – a promise that has not been fulfilled.

Earlier in his career, Dr. Cohen explained, Chen had been popular with the Chinese government, who sent him to the US in 2003. However, Chen became too effective in challenging local authorities. For example, he used litigation to enforce the rights of disabled persons under Chinese law to be exempt from taxes and the duty to work. Similarly, Chen challenged the power of local Communist Party secretaries to force illegal abortions and sterilizations. A survey in one Chinese province, Chen said, uncovered 130,000 unlawful abortions in just one city. If the pregnant woman couldn’t be found, the authorities detained a family member to coerce the abortion, he said. (In another context, Chen has said that the one-child family policy has probably become obsolete in contemporary China.) His work with women and disabled, Chen said, was human rights work rather than dissidence. “If the local Party secretary is not involved, you’re OK. If he is, you lose.”

Lack of transparency is a key issue in China. Under Article 73, Chen said, the Government can still send individuals to “re-education” camps without trial for up to six months. Recently, due to public pressure, families pf those interned have to be notified but the cases are still “out of public view.”

One of the issues raised during the discussion was trying to characterize Chen Guangcheng. Although he never advocated overthrowing the government, he believes that if the Chinese Communist party can’t satisfy the people’s demands for universal values and fair society, it should step aside. In this way, he is getting closer to being a dissident, because of frustration and lack of response from the government. This issue was also encompassed by questions from the audience about the dilemma that Chen faces on the personal (endangering his family and relatives) and public fronts (open criticism of the Chinese government versus silent diplomacy in building constructive conversation).

Chen Guangcheng seems motivated to continue working for human rights no matter where he is. In his message to the Chinese American students in the audience, he encouraged promoting fairness and justice in Chinese society, saying that the future is in their hands.

Secretary John Kerry to Discuss Chen Guangchen’s Nephew Chen Kegui with China

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Secretary Kerry is Greeted by Chinese President Xi JinpingIn his talk at the New School on February 6, 2013 (see our posting summarizing that event), the blind Chinese lawyer Chen Guangcheng expressed great concern about the arrest and sentencing of his nephew, Chen Kegui, by local authorities in home Chen’s province. He believes that attacks on Chen’s family members and unfair trial and sentencing of his nephew were actions taken in retaliation for Chen’s escape after being in house arrest. Moreover, recently, Chen learned that his nephew suffers from appendicitis but that prison authorities have refused to give him medical attention. According to the Washington Post, May 3, 2013, Secretary of State John F. Kerry plans to raise the case of Chen Kegui in a phone call with Chinese authorities.

Our Previous Activities

Chen Guangcheng Calls Rule of Law Essential in China for Human Rights 

Learn More

Chinese Authorities Harass Chen Kegui’s Toddler Son, Joshua Lipes, (Radio Free Asia), 4/9/13

Fears for China activist nephew (bbc.co.uk)

US urges medical treatment for Chinese detainee (seattletimes.com)

In Spite of Protests, Peking University Expels Respected Economics Professor

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English: An entrance to the Peking University

English: An entrance to the Peking University (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

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

President Wang Enge
Peking University
No. 5 Yiheyuan Road,
Haldian District, Beijing
Peoples’ Republic of China 10087

July 31, 2013

Dear President Wang:

We are 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 world. We write now in concern for Professor Xia Yeliang of Peking University.

As fellow physicists and members of the American Physical Society, which honored you in 2007, we welcome your accession to the prestigious post of University President. As academics, we all support your goal of making your university a world -class seat of learning and research, as you promised in your remarks upon being appointed. We therefore urge you to prevent a vote by your faculty that would punish Professor Xia, one of your respected academic colleagues, for his opinions, and deprive Peking University of his expertise.

We understand that Dr. Xia Yeliang is a professor in the Department of Economics at Peking University. His research fields include institutional economics, macroeconomic analysis and public policy, economic history, and labor economics. He has been teaching Principles of Economics, Labor Economics, Institutional Economics, and Western Economic History at Peking University since 2000. He has been an outspoken advocate of free speech and constitutional government.

According to the South China Morning Post, Xia expects a faculty vote in the fall to expel him from the University because of his opinions. “They told me it’s because of all the things I have said and written,” Xia said. “They have threatened me before, but this is the first time they will vote on my expulsion.” Xia does not believe that he will have an opportunity to defend himself at this proceeding. He added that he could not remember the last time the faculty voted on expelling a professor. Currently a visiting scholar at Stanford University in California, Xia said he planned to return to Beijing by the end of August. “I have opportunities to stay [in the US], but I want to keep teaching in China,” he said.

We urge you to cancel the planned faculty vote and assure Professor Xia that he may continue as faculty member at Peking University.

Sincerely,

Eugene Chudnovsky
Alexander Greer
Joel Lebowitz
Walter Reich
Paul Plotz

Co-Chairs, Committee of Concerned Scientists

Copies to:

Professor Xia Yeliang, xiayeliang@pku.edu.cn

CCS Urges Chinese Law School To Reinstate Scholar, Advocates for Freedoms Under Constitution

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East China University of Political Science and...

East China University of Political Science and Law, Shanghai. Panorama of ECUPL Entrance from top of clocktower (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

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 appears to be retaliation for Zhang’s views rather than abuse of his position.

Prsident He Quinhua
East China University of Political Science and Law
1575 Wanhangdu Rd. Changning
Shanghai, People’s Republic of China

December 31, 2013

Dear President He:

We are 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 world. We write now in concern for Professor Zhang Xuezhong, who, until very recently, taught law at your university, the East China University of Political Science and Law in Shanghai.

We understand that Professor Zhang has been an advocate for free speech and association under the Constitution of the People’s Republic of China. We further understand that the University dismissed Professor Zhang in December, 2013 for having “seriously violated teachers’ professional ethics” by using the school’s communication system to publish an e-book entitled New Common Sense: The Nature and Consequences of One-Party Dictatorship and by using his status as a teacher to spread his political views among students.

Professor Zhang has stated that University officials have failed to give one example in which he fed his political views to students in the classroom and has defended his right as a faculty member to express his own opinions, thoughts, and proposals. Removal of a professor based solely on his dissemination of his views and opinions, however those may differ from those of other faculty members, seriously limits the freedom of both faculty and students to engage in the intellectual discussions necessary for a truly exceptional education.

Therefore, we respectfully urge you to reconsider your decision regarding Professor Zhang’s tenure at the University and invite him to return and continue teaching.

Sincerely,

Eugene Chudnovsky
Alexander Greer
Joel Lebowitz
Walter Reich
Paul Plotz

Co-Chairs, Committee of Concerned Scientists

Copies to:

Yuan Guiren
Minister of Education
No.37 Damucang Hutong
Xidan, Beijing, P.R.C
Postcode: 100816

Advocate for Uighur Minority in China Arrested, Taken to Undisclosed Location

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Ilham Tohti

Professor Ilham Tohti. Photo by Voice of America via Wikimedia Commons

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 counsel.

President Xi Jinping
The State Council General Office 2
Fuyoujie, Xichengqu
Beijingshi 100017
People’s Republic of China

January 27, 2014

Your Excellency:

We are 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 world.

We write now in concern for Professor Ilham Tohti.

Dr. Tohti is a professor of economics at the Central Minorities University in Beijing and an advocate for the rights of the Chinese Uighur minority. We understands from media reports that on the afternoon of January 15, 2014, police reportedly raided Tohti’s family home, arrested him, seized computers, cell phones, passports, and other documents – including teaching materials and student essays – and then took Tohti to an undisclosed location. We also gather that Tohti is currently held incommunicado on unspecified charges. It is unclear whether he has access to legal counsel.

Tohti has previously been placed under house arrest by Chinese authorities, subjected to restrictions on academic travel, and interrogated by police in connection with his academic work. We understand that he has also recently reported to the media that police have harassed him, rammed his car, and threatened to kill his wife and children, allegedly in an effort to force him to stop speaking to foreign journalists. We have previously written to Chinese authorities to protest restrictions on Tohti’s travel to the United States, where he was invited as a visiting scholar to Indiana University. These recent actions appear to indicate that Tohti was arrested as a result of scholarly and nonviolent expressive activity, conduct that is expressly protected under international human rights instruments including the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, to which China is a signatory.

We therefore respectfully urge you to investigate the situation, to explain publicly the circumstances of Tohti’s arrest and, pending his immediate release, to ensure that his case proceeds in a manner consistent with China’s obligations under international law, in particular internationally recognized standards of due process, fair trial, free expression and freedom of association. We also urge you, pending his release, to ensure Tohti’s well being in custody, including disclosure of his current location and access to counsel and family.

Sincerely,

Eugene Chudnovsky
Alexander Greer
Joel Lebowitz
Walter Reich
Paul Plotz

Co-Chairs, Committee of Concerned Scientists

Jailed Uyghur Professor’s Family in Beijing Is Harassed by Police, Daughter Testifies

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Ilham Tohti

Professor Ilham Tohti. Photo by Voice of America via Wikimedia Commons

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 family.

President Xi Jinping
The State Council General Office 2 ¬
Fuyoujie, Xichengqu
Beijingshi 100017
People’s Republic of China

April 9, 2014

Your Excellency:

We write now in concern for Professor Ilham Tohti’s family.

We wrote to you on January 27, 2014, (letter attached) concerning Dr. Tohti , a professor of economics at Central Minzu University and a peaceful advocate for the rights of the Chinese Uyghur Minority. Tohti was arrested on January 15, 2014, and charged on February 20 with “separatism.” We gather that Tohti is currently held in Urumqui Municipal Prison in Xinyian, Uyghur Autonomous Region, on charges of “separatism.” He has been specifically denied access to his lawyer, Li Fangping, on grounds of “state secrets” according to reports.

While we deplore Tohti’s treatment, as we explained in our previous letter, we are now particularly distressed about recent reports of state-sponsored mistreatment of his wife and children. According to testimony by Tohti’s daughter Jewher Ilham on April 8, 2014, before the Congressional-Executive Commission on China, Tohti’s wife Guzelnur cannot access his bank account. Her apartment is blocked by police and policemen follow her and her children when they leave. Her neighbors consequently shun her. This condition is particularly damaging to Tohti’s two young children. One of them has nightmares from having seen his father beaten. He shows the effects of trauma in his behavior and his schoolwork.

We therefore respectfully urge you to investigate the situation and to immediately lift all restrictions on Tohti’s family, including giving his wife access to his bank account and freedom from police presence for his whole family. We also reiterate our request to provide Tohti himself with treatment that is consistent with China’s obligations under international law, in particular internationally recognized standards of due process, fair trial, free expression and freedom of association. We also urge you, pending his release, to ensure Tohti’s well being in custody, including access to counsel and family.

Sincerely,

Joel L. Lebowitz
Paul H. Plotz
Walter Reich
Eugene M. Chudnovsky
Alexander Greer

Co-Chairs, Committee of Concerned Scientists

Copies to:

Congressional-Executive Commission on China

Uyghur Linguist’s Whereabouts Unknown Since Arrest for Attempt to Teach Language

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Abduweli Ayup

Abduweli Ayup. Photo: Robertwarrenwilson (Own work) [CC-BY-SA-3.0], via Wikimedia Commons

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 have attempted to provide him with medical care.

CCS urges Chinese authorities to remedy this situation.

President Xi Jinping
The State Council General Office 2
2 Fuyoujie, Xichengqu
Beijingshi 100017
People’s Republic of China

June 5, 2014

Your Excellency:

We write now in concern for Abduweli Ayup, an imprisoned linguist and educator, who was arrested on August 20, 2013.

Ayup is a Uyghur linguist, who completed his studies at the University of Kansas in 2011. He then returned to Xinjiang, China, hoping to establishe a Uyghur Language school, so that Uyghur students would have the opportunity to develop academic proficiency in their native language as well as in Chinese. He was preparing to open a Uyghur language kindergarten when on August of 2013, he was arrested together with his two business partners and accused of “illegally fundraising” to finance the new school. Ayup and his associates have not been accused of violent action or advocacy.

Neither Ayup or his two associates, Dilyar Obul and Muhammedt Sidik, have been heard from since. The police has not allowed lawyers or family members to visit the detainees or to find out their whereabouts. A relative who made contact with the authorities in December of 2013 told Radio Free Asia that Ayup had become seriously ill in jail. However, attempts by Ayup’s relatives to provide medication or medical care where denied by the authorities they contacted. Prosecutors’ offices in Kashagar and Urunqi declined comments, as did the Public Security Bureau. Reports mentioned that Ayup and his associates would be tried in January,of 2014, but no information about the trials was provided.

We urge you to investigate this case and immediately inform the family of Ayup and his associates of the whereabouts of the detainees, as well as allow them access to family, counsel and medical care. We respectfully request that this case proceed in a manner consistent with China’s obligations under international law, in particular due process, fair trial, free expression and freedom of association guaranteed by the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, to which China is a signatory. In China’s Periodic Review (October 2013), your government stated that “it attached great importance to developing the cause of human rights for ethnic minorities.”

Sincerely,

Joel L. Lebowitz, Paul H. Plotz, Walter Reich,
Eugene M. Chudnovsky, Alexander Greer

Co-Chairs, Committee of Concerned Scientists

Copies to:

H.E. Mr. Wang Yi
Minister of Foreign Affairs
Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the People’s Republic of China
No. 2, Chaoyangmen Nandajie, Chaoyang District,
Beijing, 100701 People’s Republic of China
Email: webmaster@mfa.gov.cn

H.E. Mr. Cui Tiankai
Ambassador of the People’s Republic of China to the United States
Embassy of the People’s Republic of China in the United States
3505 International Place NW
Washington, DC 20008 USA
Fax: +1 (202) 495-2138
Email: chinaembassy_us@fmprc.gov.cn

The Honorable Max Baucus
United States Ambassador to the People’s Republic of China
United States Embassy of Beijing, China
No. 55 An Jia Lou Lu 100600
People’s Republic of China
Fax: (86-10) 8531-4200

The Hon. Tom Malinowski
Assistant Secretary of State for Democracy, Human Rights and Labor
US Department of State
2201 C Street NW
Washington, DC 20520

Honorable Navanethem Pillay
United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights
Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights
Palais des Nations, CH-1211
Geneva 10, Switzerland


Ilham Tohti, Arrested in January Now Charged with Separatism

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Ilham Tohti

Professor Ilham Tohti. Photo by Voice of America via Wikimedia Commons

On July 30, prosecutors announced online that Ilham Tohti, a professor at Central Minorities University in Beijing, had been formally charged with separatism, a crime which carries a potential death penalty. Tohti, an economics professor of economics and advocate for the rights of the Chinese Uighur minority, was arrested on January 15, 2014 and held incommunicado until late June.

Tohti’s lawyers met with him in early August, and say he is adamant that he did not advocate separatism, according to an August 6 article in the New York Times. CCS urges President Xi Jinping to investigate the case and withdraw charges that are unwarranted.

President Xi Jinping
The State Council General Office 2
Fuyoujie, Xichengqu
Beijingshi 100017
People’s Republic of China

August 7, 2014

Your Excellency:
We write now in grave concern for Professor Ilham Tohti.

On July 30, prosecutors announced online that Tohti has been formally charged with separatism, a crime which carries a potential death penalty. Tohti, a professor of economics at the Central Minorities University in Beijing and an advocate for the rights of the Chinese Uighur minority, was arrested on January 15, 2014 and held incommunicado until late June. We understand that Tohti has been allowed access to legal counsel and plans to fight the charges brought against him.

According to a June 26 article in the New York Times, Li Fangping, one of his lawyers, said that Tohti is adamant that he did not advocate separatism, as alleged. Tohti has consistently claimed that he peacefully advocated change in Xinjiang province and is quoted in the article as “hoping that the interests of the Uighur ethnic minorities and the Han majority could be reconciled.” His view is consistent with the Chinese governments’ statement in China’s Universal Periodic Review of 2013 that “it attached great importance to developing the cause of human rights for ethnic minorities.”

We have previously written to Chinese authorities to protest restrictions on Tohti’s travel to the United States, where he was invited as a visiting scholar to Indiana University, as well as brutality during his arrest and harassment of his family. These actions appear to indicate that Tohti was arrested as a result of scholarly and nonviolent expressive activity, conduct that is expressly protected under international human rights instruments including the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, to which China is a signatory.

We therefore respectfully urge you to investigate the circumstances of this case and to ensure the withdrawal of any charges that are unwarranted. Please also assure that Tohti’s case proceeds in a manner consistent with China’s obligations under international law, in particular internationally recognized standards of due process, fair trial, free expression and freedom of association. We also urge you, pending his release, to ensure Tohti’s well being in custody, including disclosure of his current location and access to counsel and family.

Sincerely,

Joel L. Lebowitz, Paul H. Plotz, Walter Reich,
Eugene M. Chudnovsky, Alexander Greer

Co-Chairs, Committee of Concerned Scientists

Copies to:

The Honorable John F. Kerry
Secretary of State of the US
Department of State
2201 C Street NW
Washington, DC 20520

H.E. Mr. Wang Yi
Minister of Foreign Affairs
Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the People’s Republic of China
No. 2, Chaoyangmen Nandajie, Chaoyang District,
Beijing, 100701 People’s Republic of China
Email: webmaster@mfa.gov.cn

H.E. Mr. Cui Tiankai
Ambassador of the People’s Republic of China to the United States
Embassy of the People’s Republic of China in the United States
3505 International Place NW
Washington, DC 20008 USA
Fax: +1 (202) 495-2138
Email: chinaembassy_us@fmprc.gov.cn

The Honorable Max S. Baucus
United States Ambassador to the People’s Republic of China
United States Embassy of Beijing, China
No. 55 An Jia Lou Lu 100600
People’s Republic of China
Fax: (86-10) 8531-4200

CCS Joins International Outcry At Life Sentence for Ilham Tohti

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After a two-day trial closed to the public, Professor Ilham Tohti, an advocate for China’s Uighur minority, was sentenced to life in prison for “separatism,” a charge he denies. In addition, the court ordered all of his assets confiscated, leaving his family in severe economic distress. The trial appears to have denied him an opportunity for proper defense, according to his lawyers, and to be based on his teachings and non-violent expressions of opinion.

President Xi Jinping
The State Council General Office 2
Fuyoujie, Xichengqu
Beijingshi 100017, People’s Republic of China

September 27, 2014

Your Excellency:

We write now in grave concern for Professor Ilham Tohti.

Dr. Tohti is a professor of economics at the Central Minorities University in Beijing and an advocate for the rights of the Chinese Uighur minority. We understand from media reports that on the afternoon of January 15, 2014, police reportedly raided Tohti’s home, arrested him, seized computers, cell phones, passports, and other documents and then took Tohti to an undisclosed location. On July 30, Tohti was formally charged with separatism, charges that he has consistently denied.

On September 16 and 17, the Urumqi Intermediate People’s Court held a two-day trial of Tohti, which was closed to the public. Tohti’s lawyers have said that they were denied access to evidence in advance of the trial and were not allowed to call witnesses for his defense. Evidence produced by the prosecutors reportedly included Tothi’s teaching materials and material from the Uighur Online website. Tohti maintained his innocence throughout.

Following the closed trial, on September 23, 2014, the court found Tohti guilty of separatism and sentenced him to life in prison. In addition, the court ordered all of his assets to be confiscated, leaving his family in severe economic distress. The verdict has attracted widespread international condemnation from human rights groups and from governments around the world.

These recent actions appear to indicate that Tohti was arrested, convicted and sentenced as a result of scholarly and nonviolent expressive activity, conduct that is expressly protected under international human rights instruments including the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, to which China is a signatory. Moreover, according to Tohti’s counsel, the verdict and sentence were arrived at in a manner inconsistent with the due process requirements of Chinese and International Law.

We respectfully urge you to immediately reverse this verdict, based on a trial lacking all elements of due process, as well as the resulting sentence, including the order to confiscate Tohti’s assets.

Sincerely,

Joel L. Lebowitz, Paul H. Plotz, Walter Reich,
Eugene M. Chudnovsky, Alexander Greer

Co-Chairs, Committee of Concerned Scientists

Copies to:

Hon. Wang Yi, Minister of Foreign Affairs
Hon. Cui Tiankai, Ambassador of the People’s Republic of China to the US
Hon. Max Baucus, Ambassador of the US to the People’s Republic of China
Hon. John F. Kerry, Secretary of State of the United States

 

 

Statement About Cao Shunli

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The Committee of Concerned Scientists expresses shock and sadness at the news of the death in detention of human rights activist and lawyer Cao Shunli.

Since 2008, Cao has pushed for petitioners and activists to have a voice in China’s domestic human rights reviews and the UN’s universal periodic review (UPR). Authorities first detained Cao at Beijing airport on September 14, 2014, as she was en route to Geneva to participate in a human rights training program. She was formally arrested one month later on suspicion of “picking quarrels and provoking trouble”.

Cao suffered from several conditions, including tuberculosis, liver disease and uterine fibroids, according to the New York-based group Human Rights in China. Beijing’s Chaoyang district detention centre, where she was held, refused to give her medical treatment for months, causing her condition to deteriorate, even though the US Department of State, among others, had repeatedly expressed concern about her health. Cao was finally taken to a hospital on February 19 after she fell into a coma. She spent her last days hooked up to a ventilator.

China’s actions show shocking disregard of its international obligations to Cao Shunlin’s right to due process and to health care while in detention. By punishing Cao for her attempts to improve China’s participation in the UPR process, Chinese authorities also explicitly deny their obligations to the human rights of their own people and as a member of the international community.

Seven Students Reportedly Convicted on Separatism Charges in China

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Seven students of Professor Ilham Tohti’s have reportedly been sentenced to three to eight years in prison in China on charges of separatism. They were arrested at the same time that Tohti was, and CCS is concerned that some of the students were coerced into testifying against Professor Tohti in order to receive lighter sentences.

President Xi Jinping
The State Council General Office
2 Fuyoujie, Xichengqu
Beijingshi 100017
People’s Republic of China December 29, 2014
Your Excellency

We write to you now in support of Professor Ilham Tohti’s students.

We are gravely concerned regarding reports on December 8, 2014 that a Chinese criminal court sentenced seven of Professor Ilham Tohti’s students to three to eight years in prison. They were convicted on charges of separatism. The students were arrested in January 2014 along with Professor Tohti, and were reportedly held incommunicado for approximately eight months.

The students were not heard from until Professor Tohti’s two-day trial on September 16-17, 2014. Three of the students reportedly recorded statements, taken in jail where they were detained, incriminating Professor Tohti. In the statements, the students claimed that, through his now defunct website Uighur Online, Professor Tohti had sought to stir ethnic tensions and build anti-government sentiment, and that he had threatened one student with reprisals if the student did not continue doing design work for the website. We are concerned that the students’ statements are the product of coercion, seeing that reports indicate that the three students who testified against Professor Tohti received shorter sentences. The statements also contradict Professor Tohti’s steadfast denial under oath that he never sought to stir ethnic tensions and build anti-government sentiment, but rather that he tried to improve relations between Uighurs and other Chinese citizens.

We respectfully urge you to direct a reexamination of any proceedings for consistency with China’s obligations under domestic and international law. We are concerned that the detention and persecution of students, apparently as a result of nonviolent expression and association, punishes conduct that is expressly protected under international human rights instruments, including the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, to which China is a signatory. Moreover, the lengthy detention of the students, apparent coercion, and inconsistency with Professor Tohti’s sworn statements should be re-examined for whether due process under Chinese law was properly applied in these cases.

We urge you to investigate the apparent abuse of the students’ rights and to reverse the verdicts insofar at they appear to result from proceedings that lacked due process.

Sincerely yours,

Joel L. Lebowitz, Paul H. Plotz, Walter Reich,
Eugene M. Chudnovsky, Alexander Greer

Co-Chairs, Committee of Concerned Scientists

2014 Annual Report

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During 2014, the Committee of Concerned Scientists continued to advocate on behalf of scientists, academics, engineers and physicians. We wrote in concern for more than 30 individuals or groups of individuals, located in 11 countries. We generally addressed our letters to the heads of state, as well as to the ministries or local authorities with jurisdiction over the case when we were able to identify them. We continued to work with other human rights organizations to increase our influence in each case. Although there were some good news, most of the cases supported the continued need to protest of our colleagues’ human rights violations.

CHINA

Abduweli Ayup

Abduweli Ayup

We wrote in concern for Abduweli Ayup, an imprisoned linguist and educator, arrested on August 20, 2013. Ayup, a Uyghur linguist, completed his studies at the University of Kansas in 2011. He then returned to Xinjiang, China, hoping to establish a Uyghur Language school, and was preparing to open a Uyghur language kindergarten when he was arrested. For months, Ayup was not heard of, in spite of his family’s efforts to locate him. Finally, after a one-day trial on July 11, 2014, Ayup was given an 18-month sentence for “illegal fundraising” to finance the new school. The sentence was effective from his date of initial detention and he was fined $13,000. His family and network of supporters had been raising funds for his fine. The Linguistics Society of American (LSA) had also advocated for Ayup. GOOD NEWS: According to news reports, Ayup was released on November 27, three months before the end of his 18-month sentence.

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’s President He Quinhua to protest what appears to be retaliation for Zhang’s views rather than abuse of his position.

In an August 2, 2013 letter to the President of Peking University, Wang Enge, CCS urged the cancellation of an upcoming faculty vote to expel Professor Xia Yeliang for his support of free speech and constitutional government. Xia, a respected authority on international economics, was a visiting professor at Stanford at the time, but said that he wanted to return to China to continue teaching. UPDATE: Peking University did not renew Xia’s contract, claiming that his “poor teaching” rather than his advocacy was the reason for this step. Xia said that no one had ever been fired on those grounds. He is now in the US as a visiting scholar of the Cato Institute, a conservative think tank, in Washington DC.

Ilham Tohti

Professor Ilham Tohti. Photo by Voice of America via Wikimedia Commons

On September 29, 2014, CCS joined the international outcry at a life sentence handed down for Professor Ilham Tohti. Tohti, a professor at Central University for Minorities in Beijing and an advocate for China’s Uighur minority, was sentenced to life in prison after a two-day trial closed to the public, for “separatism,” a charge he denies. In addition, the court ordered all of his assets confiscated, leaving his family in severe economic distress. The verdict appears to be based entirely on his teachings and non-violent expressions of opinion. CCS has been advocating on behalf of Tohti and his family since his initial arrest and mistreatment in jail, as well as deploring an earlier instance curtailing his travel to the US.

While we deplored Tohti’s sentence we continued to be distressed about reports of state-sponsored mistreatment of his wife Guzelnur and their young children. According to April 8, 2014, testimony by Tohti’s daughter Jewher Tohti, a student at Indiana University, before the Congressional-Executive Commission on China, Tohti’s wife could not access his bank account. Police surrounded her house and followed her and her children. This condition was particularly damaging to Tohti’s two young children, according to Jewher. One of them had nightmares from having seen his father beaten. Our subsequent letter on behalf of Tohti’s family protested confiscation of his assets, creating the real danger that his family would lose their home.

Chinese hostility to Tohti has apparently extended to Elliott Sperling, an associate professor of Central Eurasian studies at Indiana University and a supporter of Tohti’s, who was denied entry to China on July 5, 2014. We protested this denial of Sperling’s right to travel and academic freedom and requested deletion of his name from any list preventing his entry to China for academic purposes.

In addition, CCS learned that on December 8, 2014 a Chinese criminal court sentenced seven of Professor Tohti’s students to three to eight years in prison. They were convicted on charges of separatism. Arrested in January of 2014 along with Tohti, they were reportedly held incommunicado for about eight months. The students were not heard of until Tohti’s two-day trial, where three of the students claimed that Tohti had sought to stir ethnic tensions. CCS protested at the lack of due process and possible coercion, especially since reports indicated that students who testified against Tohti received shorter sentences than the others.

In March 2014, we expressed shock and sadness at the news of the death in detention of human rights activist and lawyer Cao Shunli. Since 2008, Cao has pushed for petitioners and activists to have a voice in China’s domestic human rights reviews and the United Nation’s universal periodic review (UPR). Authorities first detained Cao at Beijing airport on September 14, 2014, as she was en route to Geneva to participate in a human rights training program. Cao suffered from several conditions, including tuberculosis, liver disease and uterine fibroids, according to the New York-based group Human Rights in China. Beijing’s Chaoyang district detention centre, where she was held, refused to give her medical treatment for months, causing her condition to deteriorate, even though the US Department of State, among others, had repeatedly expressed concern about her health. Cao was finally taken to a hospital on February 19 after she fell into a coma.

EGYPT

Khaled al-Qazzaz, an engineer and educator, was foreign relations secretary to former Egyptian President Mohamed Morsi. After Morsi was deposed by the Egyptian military, al-Qazzaz was arrested. He has been imprisoned in maximum security for over a year, half of that in solitary confinement. We asked on July 14, 2014 the Egyptian government to provide him with due process, a fair trial, and access to counsel and family. GOOD NEWS: On December 29, 2014 the Attorney General issued an order for Qazzaz’s release; his case has been closed and no charges will be proffered.

Amr Hamzaway

Amr Hamzaway

Amr Hamzawy, a professor of political science at Cairo University and of public policy at the American University in Cairo, faced criminal charges in Egypt for expressing his opinions on Twitter. He wrote that he found a verdict against 43 employees of Western-based civil society groups “shocking and obviously political.” The employees were found guilty of “receiving illegal funds” and “undermining national security.” Hamzawy’s trial for his offense, which might entail three years in jail, is upcoming. CCS asked on March 27, 2014 for dismissal of charges against Hamzawy based on his right to express his professional opinion.

We wrote protesting the treatment of Dr. Mostafa Zidan, a professor at the National Institute of Laser Studies, and Dr. Magdu Khalifa a professor at the College of Applied Arts. According to news reports, both were arrested on charges of belonging to the now outlawed Muslim Brotherhood. Both academics were on hunger strikes in protest of their conditions, including ill treatment and harsh conditions. The allegation of harsh treatment and the resulting hunger strikes seem to imply that rights have not been granted, rights which are guaranteed by the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and by the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, to which Egypt is a signatory as of 1982. We requested investigation of this situation and assurance that Professors Zidan and Khalifa are afforded full opportunities to humane prison conditions, as well as a fair trial, due process during imprisonment, and medical care if needed.

IRAN

Photo courtesy Ellen Hutchinson

Photo courtesy Ellen Hutchinson

GOOD NEWS: On October 13, 2014, Omid Kokabee’s attorney, Saeed Khalili, announced that the Supreme Court of Iran had accepted his request for reconsideration of Kokabee’s case. Khalili saw this as the court’s finding that, upon retrial, Kokabee’s initial verdict should be reversed. CCS has taken the lead in advocacy for Kokabee, a 32-year-old physicist who has spent the last 3 years and 8 months in a Teheran prison since his return from Texas University/Austin as a graduate student in optics and photonics. CCS has written numerous times on his behalf, especially in view of his poor health as a result of incarceration. Kokabee was sentenced to ten years for “illegal earnings” and “communicating with a hostile government” after a trial lacking all elements of due process. Thirty-one Physics Nobel laureates have signed an open letter addressed to Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei calling for Kokabee’s release. UPDATE: Unfortunately, an appeals court in Iran subsequently ignored the opinion of its supreme court and reaffirmed Kokabee’s ten-year sentence. There was no explanation of the ruling and it is unclear whether it can be appealed. We will continue to advocate for Kokabee in spite of this disappointment.

In a repeat of the arrest, prosecution, and sentencing of Omid Kokabee, Hamid Babaei, an industrial engineering student in Belgium, was arrested in Iran as he attempted to return to his studies at the University of Liege. He was sentenced to six years in prison for communicating with a hostile government, apparently on the basis of his scholarship funding. On April 23, 2014, CCS wrote to protest charges that Babaei denies and to urge their dismissal. UPDATE: In April 2014, Babaei put in a request to have his medical condition checked out, as he was having dental problems and sever stomach conditions. Six months after the request he was sent to medical centers outside the prison.

Bahman Amouee's Facebook profile photo

Bahman Amouee’s Facebook profile photo

We had written in 2012 on behalf of Bahman Ahamdi Amouee, an Iranian economist and journalist sentenced to seven years of imprisonment and 34 lashes for alleged anti-state activities. Copies of our letter were sent to the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights. On January 27, 2014, the UN Working Group on Arbitrary Detention demanded his immediate release because they found Amouee’s detention arbitrary and contrary to international law. We requested Iran to conform to the decision of the Working Group. GOOD NEWS: On October 4, 2014 Amouee was released from prison. He has written a report on prison conditions and discusses inmates who have been left in prison and forgotten by the judicial system.

IRAQ

We supported the asylum application of mathematician Dr. Ahmad Zainy al-Yasry together with his family after his surviving an assassination attempt. This was probably motivated by his facilitation of international scientific exchanges. Dr. al-Yasri hoped to continue his teaching and research in Germany, where he had studied and had professional contacts. GOOD NEWS: We understand that Dr. al-Yasry’s application was granted.

MALAYSIA

Azmi Sharom, an associate professor of law at the University of Malaysia Faculty of Law, compared an ongoing political crisis to a situation in 2009 and criticized the secrecy with which the issue was treated. He is being prosecuted for sedition. CCS requested on October 1, 2014, that to the extent his statements were made in respect to his professional competence as a legal scholar, the charges should be dropped as violating his human rights to free expression and academic freedom. The hearing is fixed for November 5th. UPDATE: Sharom submitted an application to challenge the constitutionality of the Sedition Act of 1948. In November 2014, the High Court judge referred Azmi’s constitutional challenge to the appropriate court.

PAKISTAN

In May, 2014, attorney and human rights advocate Rashid Rehman, who had been defending Junaid Hafeez, an adjunct lecturer at Bahuddin Zakarya University against blasphemy charges, was murdered in his office. Previous death threats had motivated the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan, where Rehman was a coordinator, to express concerns for his safety to the central government of Pakistan. We demanded immediate investigation of this outrageous crime and protection for any other lawyers similarly threatened. The Pakistani Human Rights Commission thanked CCS for its concern.

RUSSIA

Four scientists at Russia’s Institute for Theoretical and Experimental Physics (ITEP) resigned in protest after their colleague Alexander Gorsky was fired for attending a workshop in the US at Stony Brook University. As a condition for his attendance, where Gorsky was to deliver a paper published a year earlier, ITEP’s administration allegedly demanded a cooperative agreement with Stony Brook and a security clearance for the paper. Gorsky refused to comply with these “illegal” and “absurd” demands and attended the workshop. CCS wrote to administrators joining their Russian colleagues’ demand for Gorsky’s reinstatement.

In 2012, we had written on behalf of Dr. Evgeny Vitishko, a geologist and member of the North Caucasus Environmental Watch organization in protest for his arrest after attempts to call attention to violations of Russian environmental laws. In June 2012, Vitishko was given a suspended sentence. We wrote again in March of 2014 because a court in Tuapse ruled that Vitishko should serve three years in prison for “violating the curfew on his suspended sentence.” Vitishko denied violation of his curfew and believed that the charges were meant to prevent the issuance of a report he was preparing on the environmental impact of the Sochi Olympics. We wrote to Russian authorities to reinstate the original as well as the suspended sentence, which were punishing Vitishko’s right to carry out peaceful protests.

TURKEY

Fatih Hilmioğlu

Fatih Hilmioğlu

GOOD NEWS: Fatih Hilmioğlu, former rector of Inonu University, was released from jail on February 20, 2014, six months after an order from the Constitutional Court that his imprisonment interfered with his treatment for cancer and other illnesses acquired in prison, and that this constituted an infringement of his right to life. Immediately after leaving the prison, Hilmioğlu said: “If I’ve been released due to the excessive length of my detention, there are still people there who have been detained longer than me. If I’ve been released for health reasons, I can say as a doctor that there are people there who are sicker than me.” CCS wrote several times on behalf of Hilmioglu and circulated petitions asking for his release.

Photo: Mstyslav Chernov (http://mstyslav-chernov.com/) via Wikimedia Commons

Photo: Mstyslav Chernov (http://mstyslav-chernov.com/) via Wikimedia Commons

Criminal trials have started against many of the organizations active in peaceful protests in Istanbul. In May 2014, we wrote protesting punitive actions against Turkish physicians who provided emergency care to persons injured during protests in May of 2013. The doctors were being prosecuted for their actions in a makeshift medical center in the Bezmi Alem Valide Sultan Mosque on June 1, 2013, for allegedly establishing unauthorized emergency medical centers and for using the mosque for this purpose. Doctors Selcan Yuksel and Erenc Ysemin Dokudag faced criminal charges calling for up to 11 years in jail. These charges were taking place in the context of legislation signed by Turkish President Abdullah Guhl on January 17, 2014, criminalizing emergency care for protester. We understand that leading medical associations and the UN Special Rapporteur on the Right to Health Care have criticized the law, which puts professionals in conflict with their internationally recognized ethical obligations, as well as with Turkish law. We joined the numerous medical associations around the world that have protested the trials and the law.

Photo: Myrat  [CC-BY-SA-3.0 ], via Wikimedia Commons

Photo: Myrat [CC-BY-SA-3.0 ], via Wikimedia Commons

In another action punishing participants in the 2013 Gezi park protest, Ali Cerkezoglu, Secretary of the Istanbul Medical Association, Beyza Metin, Secretary of the Istanbul Chamber of Electrical Engineers, and Mucella Yapici, General Secretary of the Istanbul Chamber of Architects, were indicted for founding a criminal organization, violating public order and organizing illegal protests. These and other organizations established the Taksim Solidarity Coalition to protest urban development plans for Gezi Park and adjoining areas. According to reports, the indictment charging these defendants does not contain any evidence of participation in or incitement to violence or any other criminal activity. CCS wrote June 26, 2014, to urge dismissal of prosecution based on peaceful expression of opinion and of the rights of association of these defendants.

UKRAINE

Yuri Verbitsky's Profile Photo on vk.com

Yuri Verbitsky’s Profile Photo on vk.com

Probably the most tragic letter we wrote in 2014 concerned the kidnapping, beating and death of Dr. Yuri Verbitsky, a geophysicist and member of the Ukraine National Academy of Sciences. His frozen body was discovered on January 22 after he had been kidnapped allegedly by Ukrainian security forces from a hospital in Kiev, where he was being treated for an eye wound received during a demonstration concerning Ukraine’s relation to the EU. When we wrote to then President Yanukovych in February, we understood that Ukrainian authorities had opened a criminal investigation into Verbitsky’s death. As Human Rights Watch said, the investigation should be “independent, effective and should include any evidence of government collusion.” These attacks appeared to punish Verbitsky’s rights of expression and protest against government actions and his ability to get treatment after an injury suffered during a demonstration. We urged authorities to exert every effort available to resolve this shocking occurrence.

UNITED STATES

212px-us-deptofenergy-seal-svgGOOD NEWS: In response to CCS, 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 concerning US nuclear weapon policy. The Administrator of the National Nuclear Safety Administration of DOE, Frank G. Klotz, on September 30, 2014, writing to CCS, reaffirmed his support for academic freedom in national laboratories and said he had asked for the investigation of whether Doyle’s termination was a result in whole or in part of retaliation.

We wrote to National Science Foundation on behalf of Dr. Valerie Barr, a Professor of Computer Science at Union College, who was let go after one year of a two-year contract on the ground of “dishonest conduct.” In 1979, Barr volunteered for two advocacy groups that had tied to a terrorist group guilty of a failed bank robbery in 1981. In her 2013 interview, Barr denied knowing about the nature of the group — to which she did not belong — or that she advocated violence. Our letter said that an accusation of dishonest conduct is a very serious charge against a respected academic, especially since it is based on seemingly innocent conduct that took place 30 years before her federal employment. We urged NSF to find a resolution to her rights to her reputation as well as NSF’s as a promoter of scientific freedom. UPDATE: NSF’s response reaffirmed their decision. Dr. Barr, however, conveyed her appreciation for CCS’s advocacy.

VIETNAM

Do Thi Thoan was awarded a Masters Degree from Hanoi National University of Education in 2010, after receiving the University’s highest possible evaluation from the assessment committee. Apparently, Thoan’s Masters thesis was later reviewed by another committee, which then revoked her degree in two decisions issued in March 2014. These actions occurred without disclosure to Thoan or her thesis supervisor Associate Professor Nguyen Thi Binh or opportunity to disagree. CCS joined 166 academics in Vietnam and 100 overseas Vietnamese academics who had signed an open letter to Hanoi National University of Education demanding that the revocation of Ms. Thoan’s Masters Degree be reversed. We urged that their demands be met in the interest of academic freedom and fairness. We also urged the president of the University to reinstate Nguyen Thi Binh, Thoan’s thesis adviser, who was fired and punished for no reason except for her association with Thoan’s degree.

GRANTS

We were able to make several grants to organizations active in human rights during 2014: the Malta Institute for its work on scientific collaboration in pursuit of peace in the Middle East ($500); the Institute of International Education for its work on behalf of Syrian scholars in exile ($700); and the Human Rights Committee of the National Academies, in recognition of its advocacy for colleagues in jail in Turkey ($100)

Activist Jailed in China and Denied Access to Counsel

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Guo Yushan, a scholar and public intellectual who founded a public policy think tank in China, was arrested on January 3, 2014 for “operating an illegal business,” although the government has not formally charged him with this crime. He was denied access to counsel for three months after his arrest, and his defense lawyer has also been detained.

CCS urges President Xi Jinping to investigate this case and assure that Guo is provided with access to counsel, family and medical care while in detention and to dismiss the charges that appear to be without basis in fact.

President Xi Jinping
The State Council General Office
Fuyoujie, Xichengqu
Beijing 100017
People’s Republic of China

March 12, 2015

Your Excellency:

We write now in concern for Guo Yushan.

Guo is a scholar and public intellectual, with a degree in economics. He founded a public policy think tank, The Transition Institute, that researched and published papers on social and environmental issues in China and was shut down by the authorities in 2013. In 2012, Guo reportedly helped the human rights activist Chen Guangcheng’s escape from house arrest and was threatened with punishment for his actions.

On October 9, 2014, according to news reports, Guo was placed under house arrest and remained so for 81 days with no specific charges being filed. He was released and then on January 3, 2015 was arrested and charged with “operating an illegal business.” His computer, hard drive and documents were also seized. According to his wife, Pan Haixia, to date, Guo has not been brought before a magistrate or any other legal authority to pursue such a charge. Guo has stated publicly that he runs a “think tank,” has paid all applicable taxes and there is no evidence that he operates any illegal business enterprise.

According to Human Rights Watch, Guo was not allowed access to his lawyer for three months after his arrest. His defense lawyer, Xia Lin has also been detained. It would appear that Guo is being punished for past expressions of opinion, for his association with Chen Guangcheng in 2012, and for his support of others who advocated greater transparency by the authorities. Moreover, his treatment so far lacks all elements of due process, as required by the International Convention on Civil and Political Rights, to which China is a signatory.

We respectfully urge you to investigate this case and assure that Guo is provided with access to counsel, family and medical care while in detention and to dismiss the charges that appear to be without basis in fact.

Sincerely,

Joel L. Lebowitz, Paul H. Plotz, Walter Reich,
Eugene M. Chudnovsky, Alexander Greer

Co-Chairs, Committee of Concerned Scientists

China Arrests Two Human Rights Lawyers on Unspecified Charges

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China Arrests Two Human Rights Lawyers on Unspecified Charges

The Chinese Government arrested Li Heping, attorney for Chen Guangcheng, and Wang Yu, attorney for Ilham Tohti, for, as yet, unspecified charges. A general arrest of more than 225 Human Rights attorneys took place in China in mid-Spring this year.

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Good News: Beijing Releases Chinese Scholar Who Helped Lawyer-Activist Chen Flee

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Good News: Beijing Releases Chinese Scholar Who Helped Lawyer-Activist Chen Flee

Guo Yushan, the Chinese scholar who assisted the lawyer and activist Chen Guangcheng flee from illegal detention was released from prison on September 14, 2015, according to his lawyer, Li Jin.

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Good News: Nephew of Chinese Lawyer and Activist Chen Released from Prison

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Good News: Nephew of Chinese Lawyer and Activist Chen Released from Prison

The nephew of the blind lawyer and activist Chen Guangcheng, who was arrested following his uncle’s escape from illegal detention, was released from prison on Wednesday, September 16, 2015. 

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New York City Bar Association Writes President of China Addressing Arrests of Chinese Human Rights Lawyers

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New York City Bar Association Writes President of China Addressing Arrests of Chinese Human Rights Lawyers

The President of the New York City Bar Association sends a letter requesting the release of the myriad of human rights attorneys who have recently been arrested in China.

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CCS Reminds Presidents Obama and Xi Jinping to Release Wang Yu, Li Heping and Ilham Tohti

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CCS Reminds Presidents Obama and Xi Jinping to Release Wang Yu, Li Heping and Ilham Tohti

Encouraged by China’s recent release of Chen Kegui and Guo Yushan, CCS calls upon both Presidents to facilitate the release of Chinese Human Rights attorneys, Uighur Professor Ilham Tohti and others.

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Letter of Commendation to US Ambassador for Support of Detained Human Rights Attorneys

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Letter of Commendation to US Ambassador for Support of Detained Human Rights Attorneys

The Committee of Concerned Scientists wrote a letter to commend the US Ambassador to China, The Honorable Max Baucus, for taking a position and making a public statement in support of the detained Human Rights attorneys in China. 

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