Larijani: Assassinating Scientists Is a Crime Against Humanity

TEHRAN – Mohammad-Javad Larijani, former secretary of Iran’s High Council for Human Rights, announced a new international conference to combat the “ugly phenomenon” of assassinating scientists. The event, titled “Scholars Rise Against Sophicide,” will address what Larijani called a dangerous policy aimed at blocking nations from advancing in science.

Speaking at a press conference on Sunday at Tehran’s Institute for Research in Fundamental Sciences, Larijani stated that today’s assassinations are not about targeting personal beliefs, but about “depriving nations of access to knowledge.” He accused the United States and the Zionist regime of carrying out such attacks to prevent countries from achieving scientific empowerment.

Larijani, who will chair the upcoming conference, noted that physicists, mathematicians, and other academic experts have been targeted in these attacks. “Nobody has a problem with these sciences themselves. The problem lies with the development of science and the empowerment of those countries,” he explained.

He called for global resistance to the monopolization of science, which he described as being against the very essence of knowledge. “The United States and the West are trying to make knowledge exclusive and deprive others of it,” he said, adding that media must play a crucial role in raising public awareness about this issue.

The “Scholars Rise Against Sophicide” conference is scheduled for October 9 and will host both Iranian and foreign participants.