SAR’s Academic Freedom Monitoring Project investigates and reports attacks on higher education with the aim of raising awareness, generating advocacy, and increasing protection for scholars, students, and academic communities. Learn more.

Date of Incident: December 08, 2012

Attack Types: Imprisonment | Other

Institution(s):China Jiliang University

Region & Country:Eastern Asia | China

New or Ongoing:New Incident

On December 11, Wang Peijian, a law professor at China Jiliang University, was involuntarily admitted to a psychiatric facility after allegedly expressing “politically sensitive” opinions during his lectures.

Professor Wang’s class was suspended on December 8, after he reportedly discussed with students his views on the Communist Party, events at Tiananmen Square, and the suppression of human rights lawyers. Professor Wang believes his students likely reported his comments to the authorities.

Scholars at Risk is concerned about apparent restrictions on a scholar’s mobility and work based on the content of his ideas. State and university authorities have a responsibility to protect academic freedom and not to interfere with scholar’s responsible research, teaching, publication and other expressive activity, so long as that activity is undertaken peacefully and responsibly.

Sources:
http://www2.amnesty.org.uk/blogs/countdown-china/police-raid-home-activist-feng-zhengfu-authorities-try-silence-professor
http://www.freedomhouse.org/cmb/77_121312
http://www.rfa.org/english/news/china/sent-12112012150340.html