Network Reflections

Reflections from the EAIE on 25 years of inspiration

To commemorate the SAR network’s 25th anniversary, EAIE President Sara Lopez Selga and Executive Director Mervin Bakker reflect on the organizations’ shared commitment to defending academic freedom and building a global higher education community that stands with scholars under threat.

Challenging the Status Quo: Perspectives from the Indonesian Campus Workers’ Union

Rafiqa Qurrata A’yun (2025/2026 Mellon/SAR Academic Freedom Fellow) and Yesaya Sandang, Indonesian Campus Workers’ Union/Serikat Pekerja Kampus “The work of protecting those who think, teach, research, and care for institutions of learning is never finished. It is, however, always worth

“Truth exists. You cannot suffocate it like a fire.” | A supporter spotlight with Michele Irwin

As part of our anniversary celebration, we are launching a Supporter Spotlight series to highlight the individuals who make up the strength of the Scholars at Risk Network. Michele Irwin has been a dedicated SAR donor and advocate for academic

A Decade of Impact: A reflection and concrete lessons from Scholars at Risk Sweden

Karolina Catoni and Sarah Blichfeldt, University of Gothenburg, SAR Sweden steering committee On March 9th, Scholars at Risk (SAR) Sweden marked its 10th anniversary, a milestone commemorating a decade of protecting scholars and promoting academic freedom alongside the 25th anniversary

Dr. Raha Sarvestany on women’s rights and resistance in Iran

As we mark International Women’s Day 2026, the global conversation around women’s rights and resistance movements is more than a headline – for women in Iran, it is “part of a long struggle for dignity, freedom, and the right to

Achiro P. Olwoch on writing as refuge and an act of defiance

Achiro P. Olwoch is among the many practitioners and scholars assisted by SAR this past year who have continued their work despite numerous challenges—both visible and invisible. Olwoch, a queer woman artist in Uganda, used her writings to build a

“Omdur-Aman”: A journey through war, displacement, and resilience in Sudan

Before the war, I lived in Omdurman, a town I call Omdur-Aman—a place of peace. It sits at the head of the Nile and has long been a center of Sudan’s cultural and artistic identity. And so, despite the rising

Dr. Tetiana Hranchak on memory and media literacy, in the wake of war

Dr. Tetiana Hranchak on memory and media literacy, in the wake of war | February 2025 marked the third anniversary of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, a critical moment of instability and uncertainty for many scholars forced to seek new

The Khaled al-Asaad Solidarity Fund and the “long tradition of welcoming” scholars at risk

The Université libre de Bruxelles is a long-time SAR member with a history of institutional support for scholars and researchers in danger. ULB operates the Khaled al-Asaad Solidarity Fund, which supports annual scholarships for researchers at risk. Delphine Dieudionne, of

Bringing Rehabilitation Expertise to Ukraine’s Wounded: Organizing Training for Doctors During Wartime

Moved by the anguish sweeping his homeland, Dr. Alex Moroz conceived of a training program for Ukrainian rehabilitation specialists in June of 2023. The Russian invasion of Ukraine has inflicted catastrophic damage, leaving thousands grappling with traumatic limb loss, complex

“Women Academics Face a Double-Edged Sword:” Dr. Atsede Aregay on Ethiopian Higher Education

The recent conflict (starting in 2020, ceasefire signed in November 2022) has brought about a significant decrease in academic freedom and a further politicization of Ethiopian higher education institutions, particularly in the Tigray region. Many institutions have failed to remain

The Program for Welcoming Ukrainian Scientists in Paraná State, Brazil

Paraná is a southern Brazilian state, home to 80% of the Ukrainian immigrants living in Brazil. Thus, it was not surprising that the start of the war in Ukraine in February 2022 touched deeply into the collective soul of the

Royal Society of Canada on mobilizing to continue research

A young academy is an organization that brings together a nation’s top academics at the early- and mid-career stage. These academies are usually affiliated with a senior science society or academy, and their members are chosen on the basis of

SAR Greece and the “special responsibility to support academic freedom”

SAR Greece was officially launched on October 1, 2021 with four founding members: Aristotle University (AUTh), Ionian University, the University of the Aegean (UoA), and the University of Thessaly. Since its establishment SAR Greece has been growing fast; it now

UiO on swift and flexible support for at-risk scholars

The University of Oslo (UiO) has been a member of Scholars at Risk (SAR) since 2001 and has received more than twenty scholars on one or two-year stays. Many countries and universities have calls for applications, where researchers at risk