News

Network announcements, press releases and other updates from the SAR Secretariat

Release Women’s Rights Activists in Saudi Arabia

Scholars at Risk joins over 50 other human rights organizations in calling for the immediate release of Saudi women’s rights activists including scholar Hatoon Al-Fassi. Hatoon Al-Fassi is an Associate Professor of women’s history at King Saud University who has

Student Advocacy Days 2019: Students take to Washington to advocate on behalf of imprisoned scholars

March 1, 2019 | New York, NY – Scholars at Risk (SAR) announces its third annual Student Advocacy Days in Washington, D.C. on March 7 and 8, 2019. Students and faculty from across the US and Canada will come together

Scholars at Risk speaks at the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights and launches the Americas Academic Freedom Hub

On February 15, SAR presented on academic freedom in the Americas before the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR) in Sucre, Bolivia. In January, Scholars at Risk accepted an invitation to be a part of a panel in a thematic

Scholars at Risk and the Central European University awarded Politiken Freedom Prize

The leading Danish newspaper Politiken has announced Scholars at Risk and the Central European University (CEU), of Hungary, as recipients of this year’s Politiken Freedom Prize, in recognition of their contribution to protect threatened scholars and the freedom to think,

Release Uyghur Professor Ilham Tohti, Arrested Five Years Ago

Scholars at Risk joins 16 organizations and 125 scholars to demand the immediate release of Professor Ilham Tohti, who was arrested five years ago today for promoting dialogue and reconciliation between Uyghurs and Han Chinese. Professor Tohti is a scholar

European Parliament adopts report that resolves to prioritize academic freedom in EU external affairs

On November 29, Members of the European Parliament (MEPs) adopted a resolution to make academic freedom a human rights consideration in the European Union’s (EU) foreign policy.

Scholars at Risk Launches European Office

November 28, 2018 – Scholars at Risk (SAR) and Maynooth University, Ireland, join together to announce the launch of Scholars at Risk Europe, the new European office of the global SAR network. SAR Europe will support and coordinate the activities of

UAE: Release PhD Candidate Matthew Hedges

An Emirati court has convicted and sentenced Durham University PhD candidate Matthew Hedges to life in prison, in apparent retaliation for research he was conducting in the UAE for his dissertation. SAR has issued the below letter to Emirati officials

Free to Think 2018: New Report Documents Global Crisis of Attacks on Higher Education

Scholars at Risk (SAR) announces the release of Free to Think 2018, a report analyzing 294 reported attacks on higher education communities in 47 countries, from September 1, 2017, to August 31, 2018.

Scholars at Risk Network Establishes SAR-United States Section

U.S. HIGHER EDUCATION UNITES IN COMMITMENT TO PROTECT THREATENED SCHOLARS AND PROMOTE ACADEMIC FREEDOM New York, New York, 10 October 2018 – With the momentum and commitment from its U.S. membership base of over 150 institutions, the Scholars at Risk

Iran: UN Working Group Issues Opinion on Xiyue Wang’s Imprisonment

On August 23, the United Nations Working Group on Arbitrary Detention issued an opinion on the imprisonment of Princeton University PhD student Xiyue Wang, who has been held in Evin prison for over two years.

Thailand: Drop Case Against Peaceful Conference Attendees

Scholars at Risk has issued an appeal to Thai authorities on behalf of a group of five scholars and students facing potential prosecution in connection with their attendance at the 2017 International Conference on Thai Studies.

Online course: “Dangerous Questions: Why Academic Freedom Matters”

Are some questions too dangerous to ask? What happens to scholars and students who ask those questions? How can you contribute to strengthening core academic values, such as academic freedom? These are among the questions we discussed in “Dangerous Questions:

Scholars at Risk Network Gathers in Berlin for 2018 Global Congress

Berlin, Germany | May 3, 2018 – The Scholars at Risk (SAR) Network 2018 Global Congress, The University and the Future of Democracy, was held in Berlin April 23-26 as a joint venture of Scholars at Risk, the Alexander von

Turkey’s Academics for Peace to Receive 2018 Courage to Think Defender Award

Scholars at Risk has announced Turkey’s Academics for Peace as recipients of the 2018 Courage to Think Defender Award, for their extraordinary efforts in building academic solidarity and in promoting the principles of academic freedom, freedom of inquiry, and the