Violent Repression and Government Overreach Fuel Global Decline in Academic Freedom, Free to Think 2026 Report Finds

NEW YORK, Sept. 15, 2026—Violent state repression and government interference in university autonomy lead the global decline in academic freedom, according to Scholars at Risk’s (SAR) new Free to Think 2026 report. Documenting 382 attacks on higher education communities in 59 countries and territories from July 1, 2025 to June 30, 2026, the report warns of government campaigns to silence dissent and enforce political compliance in higher education. 

In addition to violent tactics long employed by states to silence dissent—crackdowns, forced disappearances, and wrongful prosecutions—governments are weaponizing legislative and executive levers to censor curricula, restrict research funding, and dismantle university self-governance. Together, these actions coerce scholars into self-censorship and erode the vital role universities play in fostering independent inquiry and democratic discourse for the good of society. 

“Universities are critical to democratic society because they cultivate critical thinking. Scholars work at the intersection of power and ideas. But those in power often do not like to have the ideas that sustain their power questioned. As democracy comes under strain globally, we see governments interfere in higher education,” said Robert Quinn, SAR’s Executive Director. 

Types of attacks reported in Free to Think 2026: 

Violent state repression: 

• State authorities attacked, disappeared and wrongfully imprisoned members of the higher education community in China, Russia, and Pakistan, often weaponizing opaque security and related laws against those whose academic work expressed dissent. 
• Police and military forces cracked down violently on student expression and largely peaceful student protests in Iran, Serbia, India, Senegal, and Indonesia. 

Government overreach and interference in university autonomy: 

• Governments passed legislation censoring curricula and academic content perceived as misaligned with political agendas in the United States, Afghanistan, and India. 
• Governments weaponized or cut access to funding on ideological grounds, interfering with independent scholarly research in the United States and Serbia. 
• Governments appointed partisan actors to university governance bodies, politicizing hiring, disciplinary procedures, and curricula decisions in the United States, Türkiye, and Georgia. 
• Governments restricted cross-border collaboration, instituting sweeping entry bans in the United States and banning the operation of entire academic institutions in Russia. 

Reasons for cautious optimism: Despite a global decline in academic freedom, conditions rebounded moderately in Brazil, Bangladesh, Hungary, and Venezuela—a recovery driven by the efforts of higher education communities to resist state control and significant changes in political leadership. 

“These countries demonstrate that it is indeed possible to reverse the decline of respect for institutional autonomy, but that it will not happen without the commitment and involvement of the higher education community. Universities must reject government attempts to control the sector. And governments must both proactively signal support for the sector and refrain from interference,” said Clare Robinson, Director of Advocacy at SAR. 

Calls to Action: 

Ensuring that universities remain independent from political agendas will require concrete action from the higher education community, state policymakers, and international leaders. 

• For national policymakers and intergovernmental bodies: adopt the Principles for Implementing the Right to Academic Freedom; pursue accountability of perpetrators of attacks; and refrain from interfering in university autonomy, curricula, administrative functions, or operations. 
• For higher education leaders: defend institutional autonomy from external actors, while promoting understanding of core higher education values of academic freedom, accountability, equitable access, and social responsibility to the public.

The annual Free to Think report series is a product of SAR’s Academic Freedom Monitoring Project, which identifies and reports attacks on higher education to protect vulnerable scholars and students, hold perpetrators accountable, and prevent future violations.

Media Contact: For interviews and requests for comment, please write to SAR’s Communications Officer, Prachi Patel at prachi.patel@nyu.edu. 

About Scholars at Risk: Scholars at Risk (SAR) is an international network of over 650 higher education institutions, advocates, and associations in more than 50 countries whose mission is to protect higher education communities and their members from violent and coercive attacks. 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. Learn more at www.scholarsatrisk.org or email scholarsatrisk@nyu.edu.