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: February 15, 2023

Region & Country:Southern Asia | India

Institution(s):Maharshi Dayanand University

On February 15, 2023, police detained several students during protests at Maharshi Dayanand University (MDU), when the Chief Minister of Haryana, Manohar Lal Khattar, visited the campus. Khattar visited MDU to mark the 200th anniversary of the birthday of Maharshi Dayanand ...

Attack Types: Imprisonment | Prosecution

Date of Incident: February 14, 2023

Region & Country:Western Asia | Yemen

Institution(s):Dhamar University

On February 14, 2023, it was reported that Dhamar University (DU) dismissed six students in apparent retaliation for their participation in campus protests. Students of the mechatronics department of the Faculty of Engineering held protests on campus over a number of ...

Attack Types: Loss of Position

Date of Incident: February 11, 2023

Region & Country:Southern Asia | Iran

Institution(s):Hormozgan University of Medical Sciences

On February 11, 2023, it was reported that Hormozgan University of Medical Sciences (also referred to as Bandar Abbas University of Medical Sciences) had suspended a number of students for their alleged participation in protests over the death of a ...

Attack Types: Loss of Position

Date of Incident: February 08, 2023

Region & Country:Southern Asia | Bangladesh

Institution(s):Chittagong Medical College

On February 8, 2023, a group of at least 7 members of the Bangladesh Chhatra League (BCL), the student wing of the ruling party, the Awami League, attacked four students inside a Chittagong Medical College (CHMEC) dormitory. The BCL members reportedly ...

Attack Types: Killings, Violence, Disappearances

Date of Incident: February 03, 2023

Region & Country:Southern Asia | Afghanistan

Institution(s):Various Institutions

On February 2, 2023, Taliban security forces detained journalism professor Ismail Mashal, apparently for his public criticism of the Taliban and their ban on women attending higher education institutions. In December 2022, Mashal drew attention when he tore his academic records ...

Attack Types: Killings, Violence, Disappearances | Imprisonment

Date of Incident: February 02, 2023

Region & Country:Southern Asia | Iran

Institution(s):Ferdowsi University of Mashhad

On February 2, 2023, it was reported that 11 professors at the Ferdowsi University of Mashhad (FUM) were fired in apparent retaliation for their support for student protests over the death of a young woman who was in the custody ...

Attack Types: Loss of Position

Date of Incident: January 31, 2023

Region & Country:Southern Asia | Afghanistan

Institution(s):Unknown

On January 31, 2023, Taliban forces reportedly arrested Zakaria Osuli, a university professor, writer, and researcher. Osuli had recently published two books, one about Ahmad Shah Massoud, an anti-Taliban commander in the 1990s, and another on the Doha Agreement signed by ...

Attack Types: Imprisonment

Date of Incident: January 30, 2023

Region & Country:Southern Asia | Bangladesh

Institution(s):Chittagong University

On January 30, 2023, members of the Bangladesh Chhatra League (BCL), the student wing of the ruling party, the Awami League, vandalized the Vice-Chancellor’s office at Chittagong University to protest the university’s decision to not appoint a faculty candidate preferred ...

Attack Types: Other

Date of Incident: January 27, 2023

Region & Country:Southern Asia | India

Institution(s):University of Delhi

On January 27, 2023, police detained 24 students at the University of Delhi (DU) who attempted to screen a documentary about India’s Prime Minister, Narendra Modi. The documentary, titled “India: The Modi Question,” analyzes Prime Minister Modi’s handling of riots in ...

Attack Types: Imprisonment | Other

Date of Incident: January 26, 2023

Region & Country:Southern Asia | India

Institution(s):Central University of Rajasthan

On January 27, 2023, Central University of Rajasthan (CURAJ) students suspended 11 students, apparently for watching a documentary about India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The documentary, titled “India: The Modi Question,” analyzes Prime Minister Modi’s handling of riots in the state ...

Attack Types: Loss of Position