Endangered Scholars Worldwide

Abstract

Endangered Scholars Worldwide Dolunay Bulut Attacks on higher education communities are occurring at an alarming rate worldwide, threatening the safety and well-being of scholars, students, and academic staff, as well as the autonomy of higher education institutions. In response to a global increase in threats to academic freedom, Endangered Scholars Worldwide has expanded its presence as an online publication, sharing frequent updates on new and developing cases. While we continue to publish regular updates in Social Research: An International Quarterly, our primary activity now takes place under the auspices of the New University in Exile Consortium, www.newuniversityinexileconsortium.org. The Consortium was launched in the fall of 2018 at the New School to create a supportive intellectual community for threatened, exiled scholars. It works to help them identify possible path toward new futures and find placements at Consortium schools, of which there are now over 55 worldwide. For the most current information and ways in which you can be involved in our efforts to defend academic freedom and free expression, we invite you to visit our website www.endangeredscholarsworldwide.net or follow us at https://twitter.com/ESWNEWSCHOOL. If you are aware of a scholar or student whose case you believe we should investigate, please get in touch with us at esw@newschool.edu. Thank you for your unwavering support. [End Page v] SPECIAL DELIVERY Endangered Scholars Worldwide is deeply concerned about global escalation of attacks on academic freedom and university autonomy. Since 2020, more than 5,000 lethal or nonlethal attacks on academics or students took place in at least 85 countries, harming more than 9,000 scholars and students. The attacks with highest mortality rates took place in Afghanistan and Nigeria. In the first half of 2022 authoritarian upheaval has not lost its momentum as new military conflicts and refugee crises occur and the number of countries that put education facilities to military use has drastically increased. The militarization of education facilities includes, but is not limited to, using schools as military bases, recruitment centers, and detention sites. As of September 2022, Afghanistan remains the most dangerous place in the world for scholars, scientists, and students. On August 13, 2022, days before the first anniversary of the Taliban's return to power, a group of female demonstrators held a rally in the capital city of Kabul to protest the Islamist government's policies regarding women in education. Earlier this year, right after the reopening of schools, the Taliban declared the reinforcement of burqa (full-body coverage for Muslim women) for all girls and women and banned girls above the sixth grade from attending school. To disperse protesters who were chanting "bread, work, and freedom" in front of the Ministry of Education building, Taliban security forces fired into the air and physically assaulted protesters. Since seizing control in August 2021, following the US withdrawal from Afghanistan, the Taliban government has violently eliminated the individual and civic rights gained by women in the past two decades. While the Taliban government has allowed some rallies against the US, they have declined permission for any rally for women's rights since returning to power. The unprovoked Russian invasion of Ukraine since February 2022 has been posing a massive threat to global academic cooperation, besides the immediate threat that it poses to the Ukrainian universities and infrastructure, let alone the lives of Ukrainian people. According to [End Page vi] the UN estimates, at least 12 million people in Ukraine have been internally displaced or have fled to other countries. As of July 2022, more than 5.2 million Ukrainian refugees have been recorded across Europe, and more than 3.5 million have applied for temporary residence elsewhere in the world. According to NGOs' reports and a statement from Ukraine's Ministry of Education and Science, more than one thousand schools and universities have been damaged in Ukraine in the first six months of the invasion. The Russian government's aggression is also targeting domestic dissidents with prison sentences of up to 15 years on charges of treason and espionage. According to Human Rights Watch (HRW), the Russian government has urged educators to spread war propaganda, and those who refuse to do so...