NEAR Newsletter September 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 (September 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
Iran: Scholar of Human Rights and International Law Detained in Iran
Scholars at Risk (SAR) and the Network for Education and Academic Rights (NEAR) have expressed grave concern about the apparent detention of Dr. Mehdi Zakerian, an Assistant Professor at Islamic Azad University in Tehran.
** Please continue to send us any relevant cases involving threats to academic freedom and education rights, for potential alerts.
Academic Freedom in the Media *By country, taken from the NEAR website
Australia
Academics in freedom rally
The Age, 08/09/2008
China
China: Teacher punished for photos of schools
Education International, 10/09/2008
Sichuan teacher who posted photos of collapsed schools now released from labour camp
Education International, 30/09/2008
India
St Bede's women's college closing down?
The Times of India, 24/09/2008
Indonesia
Indonesia: Privatised universities may spark classism
University World News, 21/09/2008
Iran
Save Farzad: Your support is still urgently needed!
Education International, 15/09/2008
Israel / Palestine
Strikes by Professors and Students Paralyze Palestinian Universities
The Chronicle of Higher Education, 15/09/2008
Bomb attack on Israeli academic
BBC News, 25/09/2008
Morocco
Morocco: ANHRI Concerned Over Alleged Targeting of University Students for Peacefully Expressing Their Opinions
Arabic Network for Human Rights Information, 30/09/2008
Netherlands, The
Iranian students to sue Dutch government for study ban
China View, 02/09/2008
Nigeria
Nigeria: Panic grips students in illegal universities
University World News, 28/09/2008
Senegal
Senegal: Anti-brain drain computing grid installed
University World News, 28/09/2008
South Africa
South African Panel Says Safeguards Are Needed to Protect Academic Freedom
The Chronicle of Higher Education, 19/09/2008
United Kingdom
This is no way to fight terror
The Guardian, 16/09/2008
University admissions procedures must be more transparent, says Denham
The Guardian, 21/09/2008
United States of America
Academic Freedom Is Not a Divine Right
The Chronicle of Higher Education, 03/09/2008
Appeals Court Examines Educational Travel to Cuba
The Blog of Legal Times, 18/09/2008
New Questions on Women, Academe and Careers
Inside Higher Education, 22/09/2008
A Faustian Bargain for Academic Freedom
The Chronicle of Higher Education, 30/09/2008
Uzbekistan
Uzbekistan: Free Human Rights Activist
Human Rights Watch, 16/09/2008
Zimbabwe
Zimbabwe: Teachers Strike As Schools Open
The Standard, 06/09/2008
ZIMBABWE: Three students targeted for sanctions
University World News, 14/09/2008
Zimbabwean teacher trade unionist released from prison
Education International, 26/09/2008
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