Friday, 07 November 2025
[link removed]


** Is academic freedom at risk in the UK?
------------------------------------------------------------

It’s been a bad press week for Sheffield Hallam University after it was revealed ([link removed]) they paused research into human rights abuses in Xinjiang because of a run-in with Beijing. Following research by Professor Laura Murphy on Uyghur forced labour, the university experienced threats against its China-based staff and blocked access in China. The university’s insurer pulled back and then university administrators barred her from continuing the work, at which stage Murphy threatened legal action for violation of academic freedom. The university has reversed its decision, albeit only after an unnecessary struggle. A shocking story for some, but not for us, and indeed the many other UK academics who came forward ([link removed]) this week with similar stories.

People often ask me about “cancel culture” on campus. My usual response is: yes, it’s a problem but you know what’s also problematic and not talked about nearly as much? Chinese influence. We’ve been shouting about this for ages, and have dug deep via reports ([link removed]) , follow-ups ([link removed]) and panel discussions. As was the case with Sheffield Hallam, the influence is usually exerted through stick and carrot: the stick = harassment of students and staff, the carrot = access to China’s lucrative market. Given the growing ([link removed]) number of Chinese students in the UK and the proliferation ([link removed]) of UK
joint institutes in China, we urgently need to address this problem. China is an incredibly important story. It can’t be airbrushed.

Questions about academic freedom aren’t confined to China-related issues or to cancel culture, as another academic freedom story from this week reminded us. This one concerns SOAS ([link removed]) , who next June plan to host a conference by a group called Brismes, a well-respected UK-based organisation within the field of Middle Eastern studies. SOAS isn’t just renting a space to Brismes. They’ve issued the call for submissions on their own site too. As part of that call, participants are asked to declare whether their university is “built on captured land”. Several organisations that campaign for academic freedom have accused them of breaking free speech rules. They’re right to make the accusation. It’s a thinly veiled attempt to exclude Israeli and Israeli-Palestinian academics, who either might not support the framing or might find themselves in jeopardy if they do.

I have issues with compelled speech, as I’ve written about ([link removed]) . It mirrors the tactics of authoritarian regimes, not open democracies. And in a university environment, it’s especially problematic. They should be about dialogue not dogma. Sadly such ideological purity tests (as one academic I spoke about this story called it) aren’t unique ([link removed]) to SOAS or to this specific issue, which I reference to provide context not justification.

Of course there are usually other universities people can speak at, just as there might be other universities where one can research China’s human rights abuses. But is that the point? Any university closing its doors to academics – whether out of fear of losing funding or because of demands for thought conformity – is bad, made all the worse because it’s part of a broader pattern.

Jemimah Steinfeld

CEO, Index on Censorship


** More from Index
------------------------------------------------------------


**
------------------------------------------------------------

From Bahrain to Sudan: The week in free expression ([link removed])

A round-up of the key stories covering censorship and free expression from the past seven days ([link removed])

Breaking norms to survive in war-torn Yemen ([link removed])

Years of war has forced Yemenis to break taboos and take jobs others say they shouldn't ([link removed])

How artist Sai’s exhibition in Thailand was censored after Chinese protests ([link removed])

Attempts to silence the artist’s art show only amplified its message ([link removed])

Hungary: a severely restricted media environment ([link removed])

The Council of Europe's Platform reports back from a mission to the European country ([link removed])

A letter to the Home Secretary on transnational repression in the UK ([link removed])

Tackling Transnational Repression in the UK Working Group appeals to Rt Hon Shabana Mahmood ([link removed])

The ethics of AI-generated content and who (or what) is responsible ([link removed])

Index explores the world of Hitler worship, social harms and the welfare of AI assistants ([link removed])

The dissident family challenging Slovakia’s Robert Fico ([link removed])

The Prime Minister is ramping up attacks on international discussion and the media ([link removed])


[link removed]


** New report: From Survivor to Defendant
------------------------------------------------------------

A new report, From Survivor to Defendant: How the law is being weaponised to silence victims of sexual violence, by Index on Censorship reveals how survivors of sexual and gender-based violence (SGBV) in the UK and Ireland are being silenced through abusive legal actions known as strategic lawsuits against public participation (SLAPPs).
READ THE REPORT ([link removed])


** From Bahrain to Sudan: The week in free expression ([link removed])
------------------------------------------------------------


** >> BAHRAIN: ([link removed]) Calls for release of prisoner after hunger strike ([link removed])
------------------------------------------------------------


** >> SUDAN: ([link removed]) As El-Fasher falls, the world loses sight of its journalists ([link removed])
------------------------------------------------------------


** >> RUSSIA: ([link removed]) Street musician jailed again over viral anti-Putin performance ([link removed])
------------------------------------------------------------


** >> TANZANIA: ([link removed]) Crackdown on protest after incumbent wins 98% of vote ([link removed])
------------------------------------------------------------


** >> USA: ([link removed]) Trump goes on posting frenzy a day after Democrats win key elections ([link removed])
------------------------------------------------------------


** >> UK: ([link removed]) Government’s repeat protest restrictions worse than feared ([link removed])
------------------------------------------------------------


** >> ISRAEL: ([link removed]) Israeli military's ex-top lawyer arrested over leak of video ([link removed])
------------------------------------------------------------


** Flashback
------------------------------------------------------------
[link removed]

Report: At what cost? Chinese funding and academic freedom in Europe ([link removed])

by Index on Censorship ([link removed])

News about Chinese interference with research at Sheffield Hallam University has brought into question whether UK academic freedom is at risk.

This week, we look back on a report published by Index on Censorship which asks to what extent Chinese money is being used to fund European universities. The report looks at funding from Chinese companies, Chinese international students, and the protections the EU and UK have in place to prevent undue interference. Read the report here. ([link removed])


** Support our work
------------------------------------------------------------

The world is becoming more authoritarian and our work calling out human rights abuses and promoting freedom of expression in countries such as the UK, Hungary and Thailand has never been more important.

By supporting Index on Censorship today, you can help us in our work with censored artists, jailed musicians, journalists under threat and dissidents facing torture or worse.

Please donate today ([link removed])

Photos by: (Sheffield Hallam University) David White/Unsplash; (Report cover) Lumli Lumlong

[link removed]
[link removed]
[link removed]

View in browser ([link removed])

Copyright (C) 2025 Index on Censorship. All rights reserved.
You are receiving this email because you signed up for Index on Censorship's weekly newsletter.

Our mailing address is:
Index on Censorship
3rd Floor
86-90 Paul Street
London, EC2A 4NE
United Kingdom
Want to change how you receive these emails?

You can update your preferences ([link removed]) or unsubscribe ([link removed])