APS News

October 1996 (Volume 5, Number 9)

APS Supports Formation of ICSU Human Rights Monitoring Committee

At its June meeting, the APS Executive Board voted to support a May 21 letter from the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) to the International Council of Scientific Unions (ICSU), requesting the formation of a human rights commission within that organization, which would address the broader issue of scientific relations and human rights by monitoring the rights of scientists worldwide.

Richard Nicholson, executive officer of the AAAS, wrote in his letter. "We have found_that scientific associations' work on behalf of their colleagues whose rights have been violated presents a powerful tool for helping ensure that such abuses do not continue or recur."

Under the terms of the proposal, the ICSU commission would monitor compliance with Article 5 of the organization's statutes, particularly the principle of "_freedom of association, expression, information, communication and movement in connection with international scientific activities, without any discrimination on the basis of such factors as citizenship, religion, creed, political stance, ethnic origin, race, color, language, age or sex." Documented violations would be reported to ICSU's member scientific unions, national academies, and national research councils, and would then be handled according to the rules of each member organization.

The proposal arose from discussions between the APS Committee on International Freedom of Scientists (CIFS) and the APS Committee on International Scientific Affairs (CISA). The APS committees joined forces with the AAAS to draft the proposal to ICSU.

©1995 - 2024, AMERICAN PHYSICAL SOCIETY
APS encourages the redistribution of the materials included in this newspaper provided that attribution to the source is noted and the materials are not truncated or changed.

Editor: Barrett H. Ripin

October 1996 (Volume 5, Number 9)

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Articles in this Issue
APS Launches New Mass Media Fellowship Program
APS Electronic Journals and Services Come Online
Professor Hans Bethe Turns 90
1996 Fall Meeting Madness
In His Own Words: Liu Gang: A Story of Physics and Freedom in China
APS Supports Formation of ICSU Human Rights Monitoring Committee
NSF's GOALI Program Promotes Industrial/Academic Partnerships
Hansch to Receive Schawlow Prize at DLS Meeting
National Society of Hispanic Physicists Founded
Book Review
In Brief
Letters
APS Views
Leaving Science Can Be a Good Career Decision
The Back Page