Press Releases and Statements

Egypt: 74 NGOs urge Egyptian authorities to release Ahmed Samir Santawy

Scholars at Risk joins 73 organizations in calling for the immediate release of Ahmed Samir Santawy. Mr. Santawy is a postgraduate student at Central European University in Vienna, Austria, who is detained in Egypt in apparent connection with his studies

SAR urges Hungary to restore and protect university autonomy

Since 2016, the higher education community in Hungary has faced escalating government pressures, in particular severe encroachments on university autonomy, including most prominently the government’s targeting and effective closure of a university. Scholars at Risk (SAR), in collaboration with the

Release detained Thai student activists

Scholars at Risk (SAR) has sent to Thai authorities the below letter raising concern over the detention of three students, Mr. “Penguin” Parit Chiwarak, Ms. “Rung” Panusaya Sitthijirawattanakul, and Mr. “Mike” Panupong Jadnok, and the lèse-majesté and sedition charges they

SAR urges states to call on Thailand to cease attacks on higher ed communities

Over the past five years, academic freedom has been under immense strain in Thailand, where state authorities have used arrests, prosecutions (especially under the country’s lèse majesté law), surveillance, and other coercive actions to punish and restrict expression and inquiry

Violent crackdown on pro-democracy protesters and the higher education community in Myanmar

Scholars at Risk (SAR) has sent to the United Nations Human Rights Council (HRC) the below letter raising concerns over widespread human rights violations by Myanmar’s military and police following the February 1 military coup and their disastrous impact on

Reverse the rapid deterioration of academic freedom in Hong Kong

Scholars at Risk (SAR) is concerned that pressures on Hong Kong’s higher education communities have, over recent months, escalated at a rate that threatens scholars and students and risks irreversible damage to the region’s universities. SAR calls on government and

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

UPDATE: The Singapore police have summoned PJ Thum, New Naratif’s Founder and Managing Director, for another round of questioning on March 5, 2021. According to Thum, the police have declined to return his laptop and phone, which were seized on September

Submission to the Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights on China / Hong Kong

SAR submitted the below report to the United Nations’ Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights for consideration by the upcoming 69th pre-sessional working group, expressing concerns and issuing recommendations in light of recent attacks on higher education in China/Hong

Submission to the Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights on Brazil

Professor Saibaba’s life at risk after testing positive for COVID-19

Scholars at Risk joins twenty-two organizations in calling for the immediate release of Professor Saibaba who recently tested positive for COVID-19. Professor Saibaba is a scholar of English and human rights activist, serving a life sentence in Nagpur Central Prison.

Human Rights Council: Countries Should Take Bold Action on Egypt

Monitoring, Tough Message on Dire Rights Situation Long Overdue Geneva, Switzerland — Egypt’s human rights community is facing “annihilation” by President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi’s government, more than 100 leading human rights organizations from around the world have warned in a

Turkey: Institutional Autonomy Under Threat

Scholars at Risk has joined international partners in endorsing the below petition regarding recent events at Turkey’s Boğaziçi University. On January 1, President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan appointed new rectors to five universities in Turkey. These included appointing Melih Bulu, a

India: Free Dr. GN Saibaba amidst growing concerns for his health

Scholars at Risk joins Freedom Now, PEN International, and International Solidarity for Academic Freedom in India in calling on Indian authorities to ensure the release of Professor Gokarakonda Naga Saibaba amidst growing concerns for his health and well-being. Narendra Modi

Harvard University Awards Dr. Ahmadreza Djalali Scholars at Risk Fellowship

The Scholars at Risk Secretariat welcomes news that Dr. Ahmadreza Djalali, a Swedish-Iranian scholar at risk of execution, has been awarded a Scholars at Risk (SAR) Fellowship at Harvard University. SAR is grateful to Harvard University for offering this position

Action for Egyptian Human Rights Defenders

The undersigned organisations strongly condemn the persecution of employees of the Egyptian Initiative for Personal Rights (EIPR) and Egyptian civil society by the Egyptian government. We urge the global community and their respective governments to do the same and join