August Newsletter

Posted: 15-08-2021 00:40 | Views: 944

Save the Date: SAR Australia Launch

Scholars at Risk (SAR) invites you to join us for the launch of the Australia Section of the SAR Network to be held on August 19, 2021 at 11:00 AM AEST. In partnership with the University of the Sunshine Coast, the launch will be held in association with World Humanitarian Day and feature remarks by the Vice-Chancellor & President of the University of the Sunshine Coast Professor Helen Bartlett, the Honourable Robert French AC, and Professor Adrienne Stone of the University of Melbourne Law School.

SAR Australia will engage Australian institutions with global SAR efforts and enhance national coordination of activities in support of academic freedom, university autonomy, and related values. The launch celebrates the work and commitment of the section’s founding members, including its esteemed host, the University of the Sunshine Coast.

"We are delighted to formalize nearly two decades of partnership between Australian higher education institutions and the Global SAR Network." said Professor Helen Bartlett, Vice-Chancellor & President, University of the Sunshine Coast. "SAR-Australia will provide more opportunities to provide direct support to scholars, raise awareness of threats to academic freedom, and demand greater protections for scholars, students, and the wider higher education community."

By joining SAR Australia, Australian universities, academic leaders, and staff send a strong message of solidarity with scholars and institutions in situations where academic freedom is restricted and research, publication, teaching, and learning are repressed. Learn more about joining the network by contacting scholarsatrisk@nyu.edu.

International community must save Dr. Ahmadreza Djalali before it’s too late!

Scholars at Risk issued a joint statement with 13 human rights, academic, and scientific organizations calling on the European Union, European state governments, and the United States government to act immediately to secure the release of Dr. Ahmadreza Djalali. Dr. Djalali is an internationally recognized scholar of disaster medicine wrongfully sentenced to death and in dire need of medical care. After a particularly horrific year for Dr. Djalali’s family, their fear for his life has surged given his rapidly deteriorating health and the recent swearing in of President Ebrahim Raisi, a former hard-line judge notorious for sentencing thousands of political dissidents to death in the 1980s.

The international community must act now to secure Dr. Djalali’s immediate release and his subsequent access to medical care.

You can help Dr. Djalali by signing this letter and asking your government officials to help secure his release.

Scholars Seeking Hosts

SAR scholars are at-risk higher education professionals who exemplify the pursuit of academic freedom, freedom of expression, and university values. If your institution is interested in hosting a SAR scholar, please email apply.scholarsatrisk@nyu.edu.

A Scholar of Veterinary Science from Yemen

This junior scholar of veterinary science has a research background focusing on pathology and immunology in livestock. His forthcoming research will focus on pathology in animals native to the Horn of Africa. He has a few years of experience conducting research and teaching in the field at universities and research centers in Yemen. He reports risk of violence and threats to his life due to the ongoing situational violence in Yemen, and seeks teaching and/ or research opportunities in a safe location beginning immediately. (Yemen 638)

A Scholar of Chemistry from Turkey

This scholar of analytical and pharmaceutical chemistry has over a decade of experience teaching and researching at universities in Turkey. She has led courses on analytical and pharmaceutical chemistry, drug analysis techniques, and analytical method validation, among others. She is an active researcher in her field, who is currently focusing on analytical and pharmaceutical chemistry with liquid chromatographic analysis. She reports risk of arrest, harassment, and loss of position in Turkey and seeks research opportunities in the Netherlands and/or remotely beginning immediately. (Turkey 1732)

A Scholar of Education from Turkey

This scholar specializes in social studies education, curriculum design, and instruction. He has several years of experience teaching and researching at universities in Turkey and the United States. His courses include research methods, social studies teaching methods, and civic education, among others. He has a robust publication and presentation background, including recent work on technology in social studies education. He reports risk of arrest, harassment, and loss of position in Turkey and seeks research opportunities in Greece and/or remotely beginning immediately. (Turkey 1748)

All Scholars Seeking Assistance »

SAR urges UN member states to call on Venezuela to protect academic freedom, student expression

In collaboration with the Ghent University Human Rights Centre Legal Clinic, Scholars at Risk authored a submission to the Third Cycle of the United Nations' Universal Periodic Review (UPR) of Venezuela. The submission expresses concerns over systemic pressures, including severe encroachments on university autonomy, targeted denials of funding to disfavored institutions, and individual attacks, such as arbitrary detention, arrest, and violence against scholars, students, and higher education institutions. These pressures have led to mass migration out of the country by students and scholars, harming Venezuela’s research output, and severely diminishing educational quality. SAR's recommendations to UN member states include calling on Venezuela to secure public funding of universities, ensure university autonomy, and refrain from violence and arrests in retaliation for the nonviolent exercise of the right to academic freedom.

Start an Academic Freedom Legal Clinic on your campus and contribute to future submissions in coordination with SAR.

Free To Think Podcast

Episode 11: Sanctioned by China: “No regrets for telling the truth”

Free to Think talks with Dr. Jo Smith Finley, a reader in Chinese studies at Newcastle University, UK. In March 2021, Dr. Smith Finley, among others, was sanctioned by the government of the People’s Republic of China, including a ban on traveling to China, in retaliation for her research about reported human rights violations in the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region.

Please send us your comments, questions, or suggestions for future episodes to scholarsatrisk@nyu.edu, or by tweeting us at @RobQ_SAR or @ScholarsAtRisk.

Subscribe to the podcast on Spotify, Google Podcasts, Apple Podcasts, Audible, Amazon Music, or Stitcher.

Call for Applications: Indicate Your Interest in Serving on the SAR United States Section Steering Committee

Scholars at Risk (SAR) is seeking expressions of interest from members of the US Section to join the US Section Steering Committee for the upcoming two-year term (September 2021-August 2023). Committee members are asked to commit to meeting four times per year and serving as a consultative group to provide feedback on institutional engagement within the network and advice on SAR programming, activities, and priorities throughout the United States. To learn more and indicate your interest, please complete this brief online form by Friday, August 20.

Submit the Form»

News

On August 1, 2021, it was reported that Niloufar Bayani, imprisoned researcher and conservationist, was transferred to Iran’s Evin Prison quarantine ward after testing positive for COVID-19. Ms. Bayani is serving a ten-year prison sentence in apparent retaliation for her nonviolent field research for the Persian Wildlife Heritage Foundation.

Authorities reportedly do not provide any medical care to detainees in the quarantine ward. We are deeply concerned about Ms. Bayani’s health and ability to recover from COVID-19 without appropriate care. SAR sent a letter to Iranian authorities calling on Iranian authorities to secure Ms. Bayani’s immediate release on medical grounds so that she may receive urgent medical care. Sign this updated letter in your own name to support Ms. Bayani!

Sign Here»

Events & Opportunities

Free Online Course Academic Freedom Available On-Demand I Virtual

Are some questions too dangerous to ask? What happens to scholars and students who ask those questions? How can you contribute to strengthening core higher education values, such as academic freedom? Since its initial launch, “Dangerous Questions: Why Academic Freedom Matters” has enrolled nearly 5,000 participants from 134 countries. This self-paced, three-unit course begins on August 23 and will be available through May 27. The material is divided into 3 weeks with an expected workload of 3 hours per week. There is ample opportunity for discussion with fellow course participants from around the world. SAR staff are here to discuss how you can integrate the MOOC into your existing online course, and can offer suggestions for complementary course assignments for each module. For course integration questions, and support, please write to cb4287@nyu.edu.

The No. 2/2021 issue of Nuovi Autoritarismi e Democrazie: Diritto, Istituzioni, Società (New Authoritarian Regimes and Democracies: Law, Institutions, Society) I Deadline: October 15, 2021 (Essays); November 1, 2021 (Other contributions)

The latest issue of New Authoritarianism and Democracies’ (NAD) will include a special focus on academic freedom in a comparative and multidisciplinary perspective. NAD is accepting contributions concerning the legal, political, historical, and cultural aspects of academic freedom in different political systems (autocracies, full democracies, and flawed democracies). All submissions should be sent to redazione.nad@unimi.it.

Learn More »

Inspireurope Outreach Workshop I October 7, 2021 I Jagiellonian University

The second Inspireurope outreach workshop will take place in Krakow, Poland on October 7-8, 2021 and aims to build on the progress made at the first Inspireurope outreach workshop that took place in Krakow on January 9th, 2020. Hosted by Inspireurope project partner Jagiellonian University, the workshop will bring together stakeholders from Poland and neighboring countries to discuss activities to support researchers at risk.

Learn More »

Inspireurope Stakeholder Forum I May 2nd – 3rd, 2022 I Berlin, Germany

The third and final Inspireurope Stakeholder Forum will take place in Berlin on May 2nd – 3rd, 2022. It will be hosted by Inspireurope partner; the Alexander Von Humboldt Foundation and will review progress and lessons learned on the Inspireurope project with key stakeholders from across Europe.

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