Network member DAAD Worldwide marked #SAR25 with a timely article on its initiatives supporting endangered researchers. “Academic freedom and the free development of personality are essential for a free and democratic society.” — DAAD President Joybrato Mukherjee https://ow.ly/qJ8750YEw0o

The temporary ceasefire in #Iran offers universities a brief respite from airstrikes, but rebuilding infrastructure and addressing the psychological toll of lost academic communities remains a long-term challenge. @timeshighered.bsky.social reports: www.timeshighereducation.com/news/iran-ce...

SAR is heartbroken to learn that on April 5, 19-yr student Mohammadamin Biglari was executed for participating in #Iran’s January anti-govt protests. This cruel escalation in Iran’s punishment of student protesters must be met w/ unified condemnation from global #highered. x.com/autnews_org/...

Data from the latest 2026 #AcademicFreedomIndex saw institutional autonomy in the #US decline by 50% since 2015—an "unusually steep” decline that warrants both concern and pushback from the higher education community. @timeshighered.bsky.social reports: www.timeshighereducation.com/news/unusual...?

In a conversation with science journalist @timgabel.bsky.social from Research.Table, Robert Quinn @scholarsatrisk.bsky.social, and Robert Schlögl, President of the Humboldt Foundation, discuss the rising pressures on #AcademicFreedom around the world. www.humboldt-foundation.de/en/explore/m...

SAR is delighted to share that Marfa Rabkova, a #wrongfullyimprisoned student in hashtag#Belarus since 2020, was today freed! Thank you to the international community and to the #StudentAdvocacySeminars who raised their voices for Rabkova and campaigned for her freedom!

No food, no water, no medicine, and the greater risk of extrajudicial torture & executions. This is the reality for #wrongfullyimprisoned Dr. Ahmadreza Djalali in #Iran’s Evin Prison. @ruchikumar.com reports on the increasingly dire conditions for Dr. Djalali in @foreignpolicy.com:

It has been 15 yrs since Dr. Abduljalil Al-Singace, a scholar of mechanical engineering, was wrongfully arrested and sentenced to life in prison in #Bahrain. Today, SAR joins @englishpen.bsky.social in a joint appeal to the Bahrain govt to finally #FreeAlSingace: www.englishpen.org/posts/campai...

The #AcademicFreedomIndex Update 2026 is out now! A project by SAR’s partners, @fau.de and @vdeminstitute.bsky.social, the index measures #academicfreedom levels around the globe and warns of the steep decline in institutional autonomy in the #US. Read now: academic-freedom-index.net

Scholars carry knowledge across borders—even in exile. Join Clark University March 19, 12–1 PM ET Scholars in Exile: Rethinking Academic Humanitarianism: Transnational Knowledge Production and Academic Identity. https://ow.ly/H82W50Yv06Q

News of #MiddleEast universities closing amidst the war in #Iran—and reports of student and scholar casualties—mark a somber moment for the global academic community. Reports are limited, but SAR continues to closely monitor the situation. www.timeshighereducation.com/news/univers...

Missed last week’s webinar with SAR and @kthuniversity.bsky.social? A recording of their conversation on #F2T2025 and the worrying attacks on #academicfreedom and democracy can be watched here: www.kth.se/en/bibliotek...

Recent drone strikes on universities in #Sudan are more than just deadly—they are a “direct assault on science, knowledge and the students’ right to pursue safe and stable education.” Read more from University World News: https://www.universityworldnews.com/post.php?story=20260227095533406#Sudan

On Friday, March 6 from 12:10 - 13:00 join @kthuniversity.bsky.social and SAR to discuss the #F2T2025 report! This seminar will explore global attacks on #highered and the critical links between #academicfreedom and democracy. Join here: www.kth.se/en/bibliotek...

Congratulations to the Student Advocacy Seminar at @monashuniversity.bsky.social, #Australia for being a Future Builder Award Finalist, which honors the students’ real-world advocacy campaigns for #wrongfullyimprisoned scholars and human rights! Learn more: www.theaustralian.com.au/special-repo...

"Between Risk and Research" | Dr. Halyna Tsyhanenko describes fleeing war in Ukraine in March 2022, the impact of an academic placement coordinated by SAR member University of Basel and her subsequent research into the social inclusion of Ukrainian refugees. #SAR25 https://ow.ly/3PBX50Yoc3H

How does war reshape the built environment—and the cultural memory it holds? Join us at the University of Chicago for a lecture by SAR-supported scholar Dr. Oksana Chabanyuk on the destruction of Ukraine’s architectural heritage during four years of war. Register: https://ow.ly/o0jW50YpfOn

Staff from Evin Prison—where #wrongfullyimprisoned scholar Dr. Ahmadreza Djalai has been held—have reportedly fled following military conflict in #Iran. Food distribution, basic services, and all contact with his wife have ceased. www.tv4.se/artikel/44AB...

A new feature from the University of Ottawa highlights its decade-long commitment to hosting and supporting scholars through the Scholars at Risk (SAR) network. Learn more about the impact of the SAR uOttawa Program: https://ow.ly/yj9z50YoG5x #AcademicFreedom #ScholarsAtRisk #SARCAN

To mark #SAR25, Royal Society Te Apārangi convened a panel of experts from the International Science Council (ISC) to discuss "...declining trust in institutions and science as a human right." Learn more: https://council.science/blog/scientific-freedom-as-a-human-right/

This week marks four years since Russia’s full-scale invasion of #Ukraine. Read Dr. Tetiana Hranchak's reflection from February 2025 on the impact of the war on her academic work, Ukrainian national memory, and the critical need for media literacy. https://ow.ly/1C3l50V32ML#Ukraine

Thank you to MCI | The Entrepreneurial School staff and rector Andreas Altmann for hosting European #SARAdvocacyDays in honor of the #SAR25 Anniversary year! As a SAR Network member, MCI’s work is integral to fostering the next generation of #academicfreedom advocates.

#MSCA4Ukraine: Research, resilience and solidarity - four years on 🇺🇦 On the fourth anniversary of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, the MSCA4Ukraine scheme expresses its unwavering solidarity with Ukraine’s research community. Read more via the links in the comment.

After years of crackdowns, the #Venezuelan student movement is experiencing a revival. ElNacionalWeb.bsky.social reports on how students see the country’s moment of political uncertainty as an opportunity to “return to the front lines to defend #democracy”: www.elnacional.com/2026/02/el-m...

Thank you to the Newport Art Museum for inviting SAR Executive Director Robert Quinn to join their ongoing Winter Speaker Series! Watch "Because life is not a yes/no question: Why academic freedom matters to everyone:” https://ow.ly/lg1I50YhhGm

Citing “increasingly severe pressures,” the Hong Kong Federation of Students—once central to #HongKong’s pro-democracy movements—disbanded this past week, underscoring the eroding space for student activism and #academicfreedom in the region. www.straitstimes.com/asia/east-as...

As of Feb. 8, assistant prof. Mostafa Mehareen of the Institute for Humanities and Cultural Studies, has begun serving 8 yrs in prison for openly calling on #Iran’s leader Ali Khamenei to resign in June 2025. www.radiofarda.com/a/33671293.h...

On Feb. 10, #wrongfullyimprisoned PhD student Bahruz Samadov in #Azerbaijan ended his hunger strike after finally being able to call his grandmother. While this is welcome news, the intl community must keep calling to #FreeBahruz and ensure his safety. https://www.eng.kavkaz-uzel.eu/articles/72715

SAR’s February 2026 newsletter is out now! See the latest from the SAR network, including an invitation to a webinar on March 5th to hear directly from SAR staff and scholars on supporting threatened scholars. https://ow.ly/sHfX50YcxSk

Scholars at Risk is one of 37 organizations writing to the Board of Regents of Texas A&M University today to request that they rescind policies that have resulted in censorship of course content. Read and sign: www.scholarsatrisk.org/2026/02/lett...

"‘The Mobile Rings in the Pockets of the Dead: Parents Calling Their Children’ Political Violence amid Declining Legitimacy: Patterns of State Repression.” A piece by Dr. Sabet Sarvestany, a SAR-assisted scholar of women and gender studies from #Iran: https://ow.ly/tfzW50YbO0U#Iran

🚨 Today, shortly after a court in #Azerbaijan rejected his attempt to appeal a transfer to a maximum security prison, #wrongfullyimprisoned PhD student Bahruz Samadov announced he would go on an indefinite hunger strike. oc-media.org/samadov-lose...

In the following letter, PhD student Bahruz Samadov expresses fear for his life while #wrongfullyimprisoned in #Azerbaijan and writes powerfully on the need for international solidarity to help secure his freedom. Read his words now: oc-media.org/the-state-pl...

To mark #SAR25, University of Klagenfurt convened a panel of researchers and practitioners to discuss "how universities can support researchers when public engagement becomes not only critical, but at times, openly hostile". Learn more: https://ow.ly/bttT50Y8Ohx Thank you, Universität Klagenfurt!

Support Scholars at Risk by telling Wiley Online Library about publishing your first research article. Wiley will contribute $50 to SAR for each submission, helping SAR protect scholars and promote academic freedom. SAR thanks Wiley for their generosity. https://ow.ly/uG3h50XFWBp

SAR Europe will now be posting on Bluesky! Follow us, and @scholarsatrisk.bsky.social, to join the movement!

SAR and Amnesty International announce a new, free 90-min online mini-course on academic freedom, what it is, and why it matters to everyone. Sign up and help us spread the word: https://ow.ly/3i2V50Y3Mer

HRREC, SAR uOttawa Program, and the SAR Canada Section invite you to a public webinar marking the 25th anniversary of the Scholars at Risk Network. UN & global standards on academic freedom Monday, February 2, 2026 12:00–1:00 PM (EST) Zoom | Free & open to all https://ow.ly/inKJ50Y4o93

"In America today, the freedom to speak, teach, and learn without fear of retribution is under attack." New report from @sanders.senate.gov on attacks on #US colleges & unis is an urgent call to protect #academicfreedom and #democracy. sanders.senate.gov/wp-content/u...

📢 New resource! What happens when certain questions feel too risky to ask? Today, on #InternationalDayofEducation, SAR & Amnesty International launch a free, online 90-min course: “Dangerous” Questions: Why Academic Freedom Matters.” Sign up and help us spread the word: https://ow.ly/gaK050Y25sq#InternationalDayofEducation

The scale of university shutdowns & violence against protesters—incl. students—in #Iran appears unprecedented, even by Iran’s long history of repressing student movements. Universities are under siege and students’ lives are being lost. This must end now.

Join @uOttawaHRREC, the @ScholarsatRisk #uOttawa Program and the SAR Canada Section for a webinar to celebrate SAR's 25th Anniversary! International Tools to Advance Academic Freedom Monday, January 26, 2026 12:00–1:00 PM (EST) - Zoom https://ow.ly/b4iq50Y0LHk

Meet the 2025-2026 Mellon/SAR Academic Freedom Fellows! With support from the Mellon Foundation this diverse cohort of scholars will advance projects on #academicfreedom and join a global research community. Read more: https://www.scholarsatrisk.org/the-network-archived/mellon-sar/

SAR's January 2026 newsletter, available now! See key news updates, opportunities, and resources from across the SAR network this month. Read and subscribe: https://ow.ly/I8cr50XWpNT

Researchers are being targeted in many countries around the world. In some cases, both they and their families face death threats and are forced into hiding. Through the organisation @scholarsatrisk.bsky.social LiU is helping to protect some of these researchers. liu.se/en/news-item... #AcademicSky

Thank you to our partners at the Université Grenoble Alpes, who conducted two thoughtful interviews with scholars as part of SAR's 25th anniversary celebration. #SAR25 Read them here: international.univ-grenoble-alpes.fr/news/headlin... international.univ-grenoble-alpes.fr/news/headlin...

In SAR's December newsletter, we bring you a note of gratitude from SAR Executive Director Rob Quinn: "These achievements, which would not have been possible without you, are a testament to the movement we have built together." Read and subscribe: ow.ly/kt2650XGuvS

In #Myanmar, #OccupiedPalestinianTerritory, #China, #HongKong, #Sudan, #Nicaragua, and #Türkiye a lower number of reported attacks on highered in #Free2Think2025 indicates effective repression—not improving conditions—for #academicfreedom. Read why: www.scholarsatrisk.org/resources/fr...

SAR is happy to share a new initiative from @wileyonlinelibrary.bsky.social below, and is grateful for their support. Submit a story today!

In #India, a major democracy, student protesters, professors, and universities feel increasing pressure to align w/ the ruling political party to avoid physical violence and/or professional repercussions. The PIE on #Free2Think2025 & #academicfreedom: thepienews.com/academic-fre...