Press Releases and Statements

Free to Think 2020: Attacks on higher education continue unabated in the COVID-19 era

New York, NY — Scholars at Risk (SAR) calls on the international community to take action to protect academic freedom in Free to Think 2020, a report released today. The report analyzes 341 attacks on higher education communities in 58 countries

Call to action in support of scholars and students in Belarus

Scholars at Risk is deeply concerned about the harassment, intimidation, detention, fines, arrest, and expulsion of students and scholars in Belarus, in apparent retaliation for the nonviolent exercise of the right to freedom of expression and freedom of assembly, following peaceful protests in the aftermath of the

China: Release Imprisoned Scholars in the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region

Scholars at Risk has issued the below letter to Chinese authorities and international stakeholders over a growing number of scholars and students who have disappeared in China and are suspected of being held in so-called “reeducation camps” and other detention

Rahile Dawut honored with Courage to Think Award

NEW YORK — Scholars at Risk (SAR) announced today that Dr. Rahile Dawut is the recipient of its Courage to Think Award for 2020. Dr. Dawut is being recognized for her own work, as well as that of all the

Thailand: End crackdown on peaceful student protesters

Scholars at Risk has issued the below letter to Thai state authorities and international stakeholders in response to distressing reports of authorities using violent force, arrests, and other coercive legal actions against students and other civilians who have participated in

Ghana: Concerns about the destructive impacts of the proposed Public University Bill 2020

SAR issued the below letter with AfricanDefenders and the African Studies Association to Ghanaian officials, urging them to direct the appropriate authorities to withdraw or otherwise reconsider the Public University Bill 2020 in order to ensure full respect for academic

Scholars at Risk welcomes European Court of Justice ruling in Commission v Hungary (‘lex CEU’)

Scholars at Risk welcomes the decision of the European Court of Justice (ECJ) which ruled that requirements imposed by Hungary to enable foreign higher education institutions to carry out activities in the country are incompatible with EU law. The court

Singapore: Drop police report against independent media outlet New Naratif [Joint Statement]

We, the undersigned civil society organizations, urge the government of Singapore to order the Elections Department (ELD) to immediately withdraw its police report against New Naratif, and to cease abusing the law to harass critical voices and independent journalists. On

Promoting Racial Justice

Dear SAR friends, We write to echo the grief, anger and frustration felt during these past days in the United States catalyzed by the murder of Mr. George Floyd, and by the persistent racial injustice and brutality that led to

Europe-wide forum on supporting researchers at risk

Europe-wide forum on supporting researchers at risk June 8, 2020: All recordings, presentations and other resources from the Inspireurope 2020 Virtual Stakeholder Forum held on June 8th 2020 are now available online here. The Forum brought together approx. 300 people representing researchers at risk, universities,

SAR speaks with the International Observatory of Human Rights about Dr. Ahmadreza Djalali

SAR’s Executive Director, Rob Quinn, speaks with Valerie Peay, the Director of the International Observatory of Human Rights (IOHR), about Dr. Ahmadreza Djalali, a scholar of disaster medicine imprisoned in Iran’s Evin Prison. Today marks four years since Dr. Djalali

SAR responds to COVID-19: Now more than ever

We share our best wishes for your health and well-being in these challenging times, together with our hopes for a speedy and safe resolution of the crisis and our thanks to the many experts, inside and outside of higher education,

SAR Sweden calls for the release of Dr. Ahmadreza Djalali

The SAR Sweden section issued the below letter to Iranian and Swedish authorities, among other governments, to call for the immediate release of Dr. Ahmadreza Djalali. Dr. Djalali, a Swedish-Iranian citizen, received his PhD from Karolinska Institute in Sweden and

Release Dr. Ahmadreza Djalali amidst concerns of COVID-19

Iranian authorities have reportedly released roughly 85,000 individuals from prisons, in an effort to contain the outbreak of a novel coronavirus disease known as COVID-19. Authorities have not, however, released Dr. Ahmadreza Djalali who has long been in need of

SAR Italy calls for the release of Patrick George Zaki

Twelve university rectors of the SAR Italy section issued the below letter to call for the release of Patrick George Zaki, a graduate student at the University of Bologna who has been wrongfully detained in Egypt since February 7, 2020.

Free 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 higher education values, such as academic freedom? These are among the questions we will discuss in

Free Universities: Putting the Academic Freedom Index Into Action

This joint report by the Global Public Policy Institute and Scholars at Risk introduces the Academic Freedom Index (AFi), a new time series and near-global dataset on several dimensions of academic freedom. It calls on decision-makers in higher education and

Introducing Scholars at Risk

Scholars at Risk is an international network of institutions and individuals whose mission it is to protect scholars and promote academic freedom. Learn more about SAR’s mission and the courageous scholars we are honored to assist in the below video

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