Scholars in Prison Project

Scholars at Risk coordinates advocacy activities on behalf of scholars and students wrongfully imprisoned—as well as against widespread threats to an entire faculty, university, or system. Click here for archived appeals of cases that SAR previously conducted advocacy on behalf of. Learn more about the Scholars in Prison Project and about how to advocate for imprisoned colleagues through SAR's Student Advocacy Seminars.

Abduljalil Al-Singace, Bahrain
Dr. Abdul Jalil Al-Singace is a Bahraini scholar of mechanical engineering sentenced to life in prison and has been denied access to appropriate medical care.

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Ilham Tohti, China
Professor Ilham Tohti is a public intellectual and economics professor. He was convicted on charges of separatism and sentenced to life in prison in September 2014.

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Marfa Rabkova, Belarus
Ms. Marfa Rabkova is a third-year student at the International Law and European Union Law program at European Humanities University (EHU), Lithuania, who has been imprisoned in Belarus since September 17, 2020. Nearly two years later, Ms. Rabkova was sentenced

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Nasser bin Ghaith, United Arab Emirates
Dr. Nasser bin Ghaith is a prominent economist and former lecturer at the University of Paris IV Abu Dhabi who was convicted and sentenced to ten years in prison after publicly calling for political reform.

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Niloufar Bayani, Iran
Niloufar Bayani is a researcher, conservationist, and scholar, convicted and sentenced to ten years in prison on charges of espionage. She and her colleagues were arrested in January 2018 while conducting field research.

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Rahile Dawut, China
Professor Rahile Dawut is a world-renowned scholar of Uyghur studies who reportedly disappeared in China in December 2017.

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