SAR’s Academic Freedom Monitoring Project investigates and reports attacks on higher education with the aim of raising awareness, generating advocacy, and increasing protection for scholars, students, and academic communities. Learn more.

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Date of Incident: April 15, 2023

Region & Country:Central Africa | Angola

Institution(s):Unspecified Institution(s)

On April 15, 2023, police prevented a planned protest march by the Angolan Students Movement (MEA) and arrested approximately five of the protesters. MEA objected to an ongoing strike by the National Union of Higher Education Teachers (SINPES), which had resulted ...

Attack Types: Imprisonment | Other

Date of Incident: March 28, 2023

Region & Country:Southern Asia | Afghanistan

Institution(s):Badakhshan University

On March 28, 2023, Taliban intelligence agents arrested Sakhidad Sangin, a professor at Badakhshan University, in apparent connection to his opposition to the Taliban’s educational policies concerning women and girls. Taliban intelligence agents reportedly arrested Sangin, a professor of English literature, ...

Attack Types: Imprisonment

Date of Incident: March 28, 2023

Region & Country:Europe | France

Institution(s):University of Paris 1 Panthéon-Sorbonne

On March 28, 2023, it was reported that University of Paris 1 Panthéon-Sorbonne professor Carlos Moreno was the subject of harassment and death threats in response to his work on a concept called the “15-minute city.” In 2015, Moreno formed the ...

Attack Types: Killings, Violence, Disappearances

Date of Incident: March 10, 2023

Region & Country:Southern Asia | India

Institution(s):Delhi University

On March 10, 2023, University of Delhi (DU) officials debarred PhD candidate Lokesh Chugh, national secretary of the National Students’ Union of India (NSUI) for one year, in connection with the screening of a banned BBC documentary on Prime Minister ...

Attack Types: Loss of Position

Date of Incident: March 08, 2023

Region & Country:Southern Asia | Afghanistan

Institution(s):Unaffiliated

Around March 8, 2023, the Taliban reportedly arrested Rasul Abdi Parsi, a scholar of Islamic law and former lecturer at Herat University, allegedly for social media posts criticizing the Taliban. The circumstances around Parsi’s arrest are not publicly available. Taliban authorities ...

Attack Types: Imprisonment

Date of Incident: March 08, 2023

Region & Country:Eastern Asia | China

Institution(s):Nanjing University of Aeronautics and Astronautics

On March 8, 2023, officials at the Nanjing University of Aeronautics and Astronautics suspended Chen Saibin, a lecturer in the university’s School of Economics and Management, for remarks that he allegedly made during lectures. The university’s Communist Party committee announced his ...

Attack Types: Loss of Position

Date of Incident: March 07, 2023

Region & Country:Americas | Nicaragua

Institution(s):Universidad Cristiana Autonoma de Nicaragua | Universidad Juan Pablo II

On March 7, 2023, Nicaraguan authorities announced the seizure of the Universidad Juan Pablo II and the Universidad Cristiana Autonoma de Nicaragua, both of which are affiliated with the Catholic church. The Nicaraguan government claimed that the reason for the seizure ...

Attack Types: Other

Date of Incident: February 22, 2023

Region & Country:Western Asia | Cyprus

Institution(s):Cyprus University of Technology

On February 22, 2023, a group of at least eight hooded individuals attacked students holding an informational meeting on sexual orientation at Cyprus University of Technology (CUT). The student union FETEPAK and ACCEPT-LGBTI Cyprus held a Rainbow Meeting on sexual orientation ...

Attack Types: Killings, Violence, Disappearances

Date of Incident: February 22, 2023

Region & Country:Southern Asia | Bangladesh

Institution(s):Rajshahi College

On February 22, 2023, members of Bangladesh Chhatra League (BCL), the student wing of the ruling party, the Awami League, assaulted around 30 students at a Rajshahi College hostel for not participating in a BCL event. On the evening of February ...

Attack Types: Killings, Violence, Disappearances

Date of Incident: February 17, 2023

Region & Country:Western Asia | Turkey

Institution(s):Dokuz Eylül University

On February 17, 2023, police detained 22 students participating in a demonstration at Dokuz Eylul University over the government’s decision to make university education remote and vacate all state-run university dormitories to accommodate earthquake victims. On February 6, 2023, an earthquake ...

Attack Types: Imprisonment