Suppression of academic freedom a ‘global crisis’
BY MARIA BURKE16 OCTOBER 2017 Source: SHUTTERSTOCK
Universities around the world under attack as states and groups seek to silence free thought
Attacks on academics and students are occurring with such alarming frequency and in so many places around the world that it is now a ‘global crisis’, according to a new report by the US charity Scholars at Risk (SAR).
‘What has become increasingly clear this year is an anti-democratic fear of universities as spaces in which everyone is free to think, question and share ideas,’ comments Robert Quinn, SAR’s executive director. Under authoritarian regimes and in areas of conflict, higher education communities are often a focal point for violence and coercion. The common motivation is to control or silence inquiry and discourse.
It is a human rights crisis, since it represents an attack on the fundamental right to freedom of opinion and expression
MARTIN CHALFIE, 2008 CHEMISTRY NOBEL LAUREATE
Quinn wants the report to serve ‘as a clarion call’ for action. He urges states, leaders and civil society to recognise publicly that this is a problem and to reaffirm their commitment to academic freedom and the principle that everyone should be free to think, question and share ideas.
SAR’s report Free to Think 2017 summarises a year of data collected by SAR’s monitoring project; it includes 257 reported attacks in 35 countries. ‘Attacks’ include killings, violence and disappearances; wrongful prosecution and imprisonment; loss of position and expulsion from study; improper travel restrictions; and other severe or systemic issues including, for example, university closures or military occupation of a campus.
There is a growing trend that, in societies experiencing armed conflict or extremism, higher education communities are perceived as symbols of state authority or sources of potential opposition to radical ideologies. Attacks are generally intended to punish or deter inquiry, or even expression, on unpopular topics. During the past year, SAR found evidence of large-scale violent attacks on campuses in Pakistan, Nigeria and Syria, while targeted killings of individuals were reported in Pakistan, Nigeria and Sierra Leone.
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Free to Think 2017 FREE PDF GRATIS: Scholars at Risk
