NEAR Newsletter April 2008
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 (April 2008). 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
Israel / Palestine: Israel/Palestine: Hamas Seizes Al-Azhar University
NEAR has received reports that the Hamas regime has taken over Al-Azhar University, one of the last Fatah-controlled institutions in the Gaza Strip. The university, located in Gaza City, has been a Fatah stronghold for nearly 30 years and resisted the Hamas takeover of the Gaza Strip in June 2007.
Iran: Detained Students at Risk of Torture
Human Rights Watch have called on the Iranian authorities to investigate claims that Ministry of Information agents and interrogators tortured four detained student activists. Behrooz Karimizadeh, Peyman Piran, Ali Kantouri, and Majid Pourmajid have apparently suffered physical and psychological abuse during detention.
Zimbabwe: Post-Election Violence Against Teachers
Education International (EI) have called upon the Zimbabwean authorities to respect human and trade union rights after receiving reports that ZANU-PF activists are threatening teachers and accusing them of voting for the opposition. These events come in the aftermath of disputed general elections held on 30 March.
United Kingdom: Higher Education Academy Suspends Director of Research and Evaluation
Professor Lee Harvey has been suspended as Director of Research and Evaluation at the UK’s Higher Education Academy (HEA), after the publication of a letter in the Times Higher Education (THE). Lee Harvey’s letter, which he wrote in a personal capacity, criticised the National Student Survey (NSS)- an action deemed to be in breach of his contract.
** 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