NEAR Newsletter March 2006

Welcome to the NEAR Newsletter. In this edition you will find our most recent Action Alerts and also an ‘Academic Freedom in the Media’ section, listing news by country (March 2006). Any comments and suggestions about the content and layout of the newsletter will be gratefully received at roisin.joyce@nearinternational.org.

NEAR Action Alerts *Taken from the NEAR website

Iraq: Almost 300 academic staff killed in 2005

Hundreds of academics have been killed in Iraq since March 2003. The Minister of Education (as reported by The Guardian) has stated that 296 members of education staff were killed in 2005 alone. It is reported that Baghdad University alone has suffered the loss of 80 members of staff. Furthermore it appears that more than 2000 academics have left the country, extending a brain drain that started in the ‘90’s.

Zimbabwe: Student Leaders Arrested During Protests Against Increase in Fees

According to ZimDaily, eight university student leaders have been arrested in Harare last week during a protest against the hike in fees. The Zimbabwe Lawyers for Human Rights (ZLHR) have filed an urgent chamber application seeking their release. On of the detainees is Washington Katema, the president of the Zimbabwe National Students' Union (Zinasu).

Colombia: Student Killed by Anti Riot Squad in Bogota

Oscar Leonardo Salas, a linguistic student from the University of Bogotá, was killed during a protest in the Colombia capital the 8 March 2006. He was 20 years old. Students were holding a protest at of the National University of Bogotá against the singing by the Colombian government of the Andean Free Trade Treaty with the US, Peru and Ecuador.

United States of America: Bolivian Historian Denied Visa

Dr Waskar Ari was hired by the University of Nebraska to teach Latin American History. His post was supposed to have started in August 2005, but he has been unable to take it up because the US federal government has withheld his visa. The State Department has given no reasoning behind the delay the American Association for the Advancement of Science informs.

Belarus: Beaten And Arrested Student Demonstrators Face Expulsion

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Belarus: Beaten And Arrested Student Demonstrators Face Expulsion
Several students have been arrested during the wave of demonstrations that has swept Belarus after the re-election of President Alexander Lukashenko. The demonstrators, mostly students, offered no resistance and were marched into a fleet of waiting police vehicles. A newspaper reports that Nikolai Ilyin, 21, a member of the opposition youth movement, said that the demonstrators were made to: "Stand against a wall with our hands up, and those who would turn their heads or say something were punched in their kidneys.

Syria: Law student and family arrested

Since the 23 March 2006 Syrian writer Ali al-Abdullah and his two sons, Mohammed and Omar, and his nephew are in detention in Syria. No explanation has been given for their detention. BACKGROUND INFORMATION: Syrian security forces had previously arrested Omar al-Abdullah, a law student and the son of Ali al-Abdullah, on 18 March for his criticism of the continuation of the emergency law.

Syria: Law student and family arrested

** Please continue to send us any relevant cases involving threats to academic freedom and education rights, for potential alerts.

The Network for Education and Academic Rights (NEAR) is a membership-based, non-governmental organisation which facilitates international collaboration between organisations active in issues of academic freedom and educational rights, and committed to promoting an understanding of, and respect for, the values enshrined in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.

For more information about NEAR, please visit our website at www.nearinternational.org

For further information please contact:-

Roisin Joyce
Deputy Director
roisin.joyce@nearinternational.org