AAAS Scientific Responsibility, Human Rights and Law Program

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Report on Science and Human Rights

Summer 2003 Vol XXIII, No. 2

This is a new series featured in the Report on Science and Human Rights detailing the human rights related activities of scientific societies. A list of societies that currently have human rights or scientific freedom committees is available on our website at: http://shr.aaas.org/scisocs/

The American Physical Society (APS) is a membership organization representing the interests of over 40,000 physicists. APS’s human rights work is coordinated by the Committee on International Freedom of Scientists (CIFS). CIFS began its work in 1976 as a subcommittee of the APS Panel on Public Affairs, which was created in the mid-1970s in response to interest in the physics community about societal issues. CIFS became a standing committee in 1980.

The APS bylaws state that CIFS “shall be responsible for monitoring concerns regarding human rights for scientists throughout the world. It shall apprise the [APS] President, the Executive Board and Council of problems encountered by scientists in the pursuit of their scientific interests or in effecting satisfactory communication with other scientists...” Cases like the oppression of colleagues in Argentina during the “dirty war” and other countries experiencing widespread human rights violations and the well known case of persecution of Russian physicist Andrei Sakharov galvanized the physics community around issues of human rights and scientific freedom.

CIFS is an active organization, drafting appeal letters and sponsoring petitions on behalf of physicists whose human rights have been violated. They are currently co-sponsoring a petition on behalf of 19 Chinese colleagues who were incarcerated solely for having exercised their internationally recognized rights to freedom of expression and association. CIFS also has a focus on US policy and practices that affect scientific freedom, such as the issue of visa denials for foreign researchers, students, and professionals.

SHR recently spoke with Noemie Benczer Koller, the current chair of CIFS. Dr. Koller is a faculty member in the Department of Physics and Astronomy at Rutgers University. She joined CIFS in 2001 and was elected the Chairperson the following year. Her term as Chair ends in December 2003.

SHR: What kind of arguments do you make to the physics community about why a physicist should care about human rights?

Noemie Benczer Koller, 2002. Photo by Dennis Connors

NK: The best concise statement on why physicists care about human rights was enunciated by the APS council in 1989:

“In consideration of the international dimensions of science and the need of scientists of all nations to maintain professional contact with colleagues at home and abroad, the American Physical Society has adopted the following statement on The International Nature of Physics

Cooperation:

Science belongs to all humanity and transcends natural boundaries. As in the past, science can serve as a bridge for mutual understanding across political and ideological divisions and as a vehicle for the enhancement of peace. In particular, APS believes that it is important at this time to strive for more open dialogue among scientists to enhance international cooperation.

To achieve its full potential and to benefit all mankind, science requires that governments respect basic human rights, allow open communication, and avoid interfering with the rights of scientists as they carry out their professional work.

The APS expects that any action by any government restricting the freedom of inquiry by physicists or the normal performance of their scholarly work be the result of accepted judicial procedures in which the rights of individuals to defend themselves against accusations are not curtailed.”

SHR: What do you think are some of the most important human rights issues or cases for CIFS right now?

NK: We have a number of colleagues in prison in China, Russia and Cuba. I believe the Cuba problems are the most pressing issues the present time. It has also come to CIFS attention that the civil rights of American citizens of foreign birth have been limited. We are trying to keep awareness on some of these issues. We are concerned with many of the issues with visa denials of scientists.

We are also working on the internationalization of our efforts, i.e. trying to create a dialogue with our sister committees in sister societies abroad. This aspect of our work has become important particularly since the Iraq war as we have lost the respect of our colleagues who do not feel we, the US, act according to our moral principles.

SHR: How do you measure the impact or the success of your efforts?

NK: That question is hard to answer. In general, progress, as measured by the response to our letters on behalf of imprisoned colleagues, is very slow. But we feel that keeping pressing the authorities creates the possibility of their changing their views, keeps the prisoners aware that they are not alone and gives them some hope to live by. Meetings with US officials concerning with issues like visas also seem to produce snail-like advances. But, in the end I feel we have always prevailed. ¨

Next Issue: The Human Rights Committee of the American Statistical Association