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: September 02, 2021

Attack Types: Killings, Violence, Disappearances

Institution(s):Universidad Central de Venezuela

Region & Country:Americas | Venezuela

New or Ongoing:New Incident

On 2 September 2021, in Caracas, a group of individuals posing as students who were in fact party members loyal to the regime of Nicolas Maduro physically attacked a group of students as they held an anti-government protest on the steps of Venezuela Central University. No injuries were reported.

Scholars at Risk is concerned about partisan attacks on nonviolent student protesters.  In addition to the harm to the immediate victims, the use of violent protest tactics to intimidate or coerce members of the higher education community undermines academic freedom and student expression.

Sources:

*SAR identified this incident in data made publicly available by the Armed Conflict Location & Event Data Project (ACLED).

https://elpitazo.net/gran-caracas/fcu-ucv-rechaza-violencia-y-amenazas-hechas-por-colectivos-chavistas-este-2sep/

https://www.lapatilla.com/2021/09/03/fcu-ucv-rechaza-agresiones-del-chavismo-a-la-comunidad-universitaria/