Press Releases

Statement in Response to Report the FBI Is Urging Universities to Monitor Chinese Students and Scholars

August 12, 2019 – According to recent public reports, the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and other government officials have advised some U.S. universities to develop protocols for monitoring students and scholars from Chinese state-affiliated research institutions. This move seemingly

SAR calls for action to counter mass targeting of higher education communities in Turkey

July 30, 2019 | New York, NY – Scholars at Risk (SAR), in partnership with the Human Rights Centre of Ghent University, has filed a submission with the United Nations Universal Periodic Review (UPR), highlighting pressures and attacks on higher

Hold Saudi Arabia Accountable for Rights Violations

Scholars at Risk and 39 other human rights organizations have sent the below letter to 48 ministries of foreign affairs, urging them to adopt a resolution in the UN’s Human Rights Council to report on human rights violations in Saudi

SAR Expresses Concern About Legislative Threats to the Hungarian Academy of Sciences

Proposed legislation submitted to Hungarian Parliament for consideration on June 4, 2019 threatens the Hungarian Academy of Sciences (MTA) and the academic freedom of thousands of scientists and researchers in Hungary. Scholars at Risk (SAR) has issued the below letter

Scholars at Risk Network to Establish SAR Slovakia Section

May 14, 2019 – Leaders from universities across Slovakia will convene on May 23, 2019 at Art Books Coffee in Bratislava to launch the Slovakia section of Scholars at Risk (SAR). The launch is organized by the Bratislava Policy Institute, which will act

Iran: SAR Calls for Action Against Attacks on Higher Education Communities

April 16, 2019 | New York, NY — Scholars at Risk (SAR), in cooperation with the Human Rights Law Centre at the University of Nottingham, has filed a submission with the United Nations’ Universal Periodic Review, highlighting attacks and pressures

Egypt: Attacks on Academic Freedom Require Global Response

April 10, 2019 | New York, NY — Scholars at Risk (SAR) and the Association for Freedom of Thought and Expression in Egypt (AFTE) have filed a joint submission with the United Nations’ Universal Periodic Review (UPR), highlighting attacks and

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 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

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