Universities strengthen efforts for academic freedom

Scholars at Risk Denmark Section aims to strengthen Danish universities’ efforts to support scholars who are being prosecuted.

The University of Copenhagen has been a member of Scholars at Risk since 2016, during which time the University has offered sanctuary and employment to two prosecuted researchers as well as issued two letters of support: One to the imprisoned Iranian scholar Dr. Ahmadreza Djalali) and one to Central European University (CEU) in Budapest. The University has decided to finance five one-year positions to prosecuted scholars through Scholars At Risk for a five-year period.

“By setting up a Denmark section we want to signal that Danish universities support global academic freedom – like Norway, Sweden, Finland, the UK and Germany are already doing," says Rector Henrik C. Wegener from the University of Copenhagen.

In prison for research

The launch of Scholars at Risk Denmark Section was marked by a panel debate event about academic freedom on 18 February 2019 at the University.

“Sometimes scholars are attacked because of what they say, other times just because they ask questions,” said Robert Quinn, Director of Scholars at Risk, who attended the launch of the Denmark section.

Last year, 294 attacks on university employees were reported, according to the Scholars at Risk annual report “Free to think 2018". 88 of the 294 individuals who were attacked are in prison and 79 are reported missing, killed or subjected to violence. The rest are either prosecuted, fired, or may have had their passports detained.

The head office in New York is the primary point of contact for scholars at risk, and they organises contact the member universities. The national SAR sections make this easier.