CHR Chair Martin Chalfie and CHR Member Anthony Leggett among 121 Nobel Laureates Appealing for the Release of Iranian-Swedish Medical Doctor Ahmadreza Djalali

December 10, 2018  

In advance of the Nobel Prize Award Ceremonies taking place today, Sir Richard Roberts was joined by 120 other Nobel Laureates in appealing to Supreme Leader of Iran Ayatollah Ali Khamenei for assistance in the case of Iranian-Swedish medical doctor Ahmadreza Djalali.  Dr. Djalali was sentenced to death in 2017 following proceedings that failed to meet international fair trial standards.  Reliable reports indicate that his health is rapidly declining and that he is not receiving needed medical care.  The letter, which can be read here, calls upon Ayatollah Khamenei to ensure that Dr. Djalali is treated humanely and is released as soon as possible.  For more information on Dr. Djalali’s case, read this statement issued by the United Nations Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights and view this video produced by Amnesty International.   

Numerous CHR correspondents, CHR Chair Martin Chalfie (pictured), CHR Member Anthony Leggett (pictured), former CHR Chairs Peter Agre and Torsten Wiesel, and former CHR members J. Michael Bishop, Robert F. Curl, Jr., and Leland Hartwell are among the Nobel Laureates who signed the appeal.  Other signatories include John Polanyi, Executive Committee member of the International Human Rights Network of Academies and Scholarly Societies (H.R. Network), for which the CHR serves as Secretariat, as well as former H.R. Network Executive Committee member Claude Cohen-Tannoudji.