Free to Think 2024: Violence, destruction, and repressive laws: Attacks on higher education are widespread and can happen anywhere

NEW YORK, Oct. 8, 2024—Scholars at Risk (SAR) released Free to Think 2024, a report analyzing 391 attacks on higher education communities in 51 countries and territories from July 1, 2023 to June 30, 2024. This year’s report demonstrates that attacks on scholars, students, and university communities are widespread and can happen anywhere–including in the closed, authoritarian societies where such attacks have been an egregious, persistent problem over the years, and in more open, democratic ones–and require an immediate, coordinated response by the international community.

“Attacks on higher education communities are frequent, diverse, and consequential for everyone, everywhere,” said Robert Quinn, SAR Executive Director. SAR’s Free to Think reports have shown for years that attacks are common in repressive environments, such as in China, Russia, Iran, Turkey, and Taliban-ruled Afghanistan, and manifest as targeted violence, arrest, imprisonment, prosecution, and loss of position. Free to Think 2024 highlights a number of these such attacks. Free to Think 2024 also reports that democratically elected officials in the US, Germany, the UK, and beyond have undermined academic freedom using illiberal tactics, including proposing or passing laws that restrict scholars’ and students’ right to voice dissent and that weaken institutional autonomy. 

“Attacks on higher education do not just harm the immediate victims. They have a chilling effect on university communities, weakening democracy by stifling intellectual inquiry and the free exchange of ideas. This is also why attacks in liberal states must be taken seriously – so that they do not go unaddressed and contribute to the erosion of democratic values,” Quinn said.

The annual Free to Think report series is a product of SAR’s Academic Freedom Monitoring Project, which researches and raises awareness of attacks on higher education communities worldwide. In reviewing global and regional trends, Free to Think 2024 notes with concern the following patterns: 

• Violent attacks destroyed higher education systems in new and ongoing armed conflicts, including in Israel and the Occupied Palestinian Territory, Sudan, Ukraine, and Myanmar. 
• Authoritarian state authorities arrested and  detained scholars in retaliation for expressing dissenting opinions, while across the world, university leaders—often under external pressure—fired or penalized professors for their work on disfavored topics. Although levied against individuals, these attacks chill scholarship and free expression, making it difficult for scholars to continue sharing ideas without fear of retribution. 
• Police responded to mostly peaceful student protests, raising the likelihood of violence and leading to mass arrests. This occurred across the United States, Germany, the Netherlands, India, and in other countries.  
• Government officials undermined university autonomy to promote dominant state ideologies. Such actions ranged from the Taliban’s erasure of “anti-Islamic” literature in Afghanistan; to the Chinese Academy of Science’s requirement that universities adhere to the Communist Party’s Central Committee; to state laws in the United States that ban diversity, equity, and inclusion from university curricula and programming. 

“Given universities’ essential role in democratic society, it is vital to address attacks on higher education now. This trend can only be reversed through a global response,” said Clare Robinson, SAR Advocacy Director. To protect the higher education sector, SAR urges intergovernmental bodies, states, and higher education leaders to support those scholars and students who are most immediately at risk of losing their lives, livelihoods, or access to higher education. Furthermore, SAR calls on the international community to endorse, develop, and implement protections for academic freedom based on the Principles for Implementing the Right to Academic Freedom. Additional practical guidance and resources for taking action are outlined in Free to Think 2024’s “Call to Action”. 

For questions about the report and requests for comment, please write to SAR’s Advocacy Assistant, Helen Hung at hh3638@nyu.edu. 

About Scholars at Risk: Scholars at Risk (SAR) is an international network of over 650 higher education institutions and thousands of individuals in more than 40 countries that is leading the charge in protecting and offering sanctuary to threatened scholars and students. SAR’s mission is to protect higher education communities and their members from violent and coercive attacks, and by doing so to expand the space in society for reason and evidence-based approaches to resolving conflicts and solving problems. SAR meets this mission through direct protection of individuals, advocacy aimed at preventing attacks and increasing accountability, and research and learning initiatives that promote academic freedom and related values. SAR’s Academic Freedom Monitoring Project identifies and reports attacks on higher education to protect vulnerable scholars and students, hold perpetrators accountable, and prevent future violations. Institutions or individuals interested in participating in network activities are invited to visit www.scholarsatrisk.org or email scholarsatrisk@nyu.edu.