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: April 20, 2022

Attack Types: Killings, Violence, Disappearances

Institution(s):University of Playa Ancha

Region & Country:Americas | Chile

New or Ongoing:New Incident

On April 20, 2022, unidentified hooded individuals erected barricades, burned tires, set fire to a vehicle, and assaulted three members of the university community outside the University of Playa Ancha in Valparaiso, Chile. 

The perpetrators, a group of about fifteen people, had gathered outside the university for reasons that were not clear at the time of reporting. They reportedly assaulted a journalism student and two other members of the university community. As a result of the attack and disruption, the university was reportedly evacuated.

Scholars at Risk is concerned about violent attacks on members of the higher education community. Protesters on campus must exercise their rights to freedom of expression and association responsibly and nonviolently. In addition to the harm to the immediate victims, attacks on members of the higher education community and disruption of university activities academic freedom and democratic society generally.    

Sources:

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

https://www.soychile.cl/Valparaiso/Sociedad/2022/04/21/753649/agreden-funcionarios-alumnos-protestaupla.html

https://www.cooperativa.cl/noticias/pais/region-de-valparaiso/valparaiso-rector-de-la-upla-denuncia-agresiones-a-funcionarios-en/2022-04-20/192758.html 

https://www.elperiodista.cl/2022/04/upla-presenta-denuncia-ante-fiscalia-por-ataques-a-integrantes-de-su-comunidad-universitaria/