Research & Advocacy
Scholars in Prison project
Scholars at Risk undertakes activities on behalf of scholars still under threat in their home country -- such as those suffering prosecution on improper or false charges or wrongfully imprisoned -- as well as against widespread threats to an entire faculty, university or system. Through the Scholars in Prison project, SAR monitors, tracks, advocates for and provides updates on scholars who are imprisoned, face travel bans or are otherwise unfairly targeted. View the current list of scholars whose cases SAR is monitoring to learn more about the nature of the project.
As part of SAR's advocacy on behalf of these scholars, SAR issues letters of appeal and alerts which invite individuals to take timely action on behalf of a threatened scholar or in response to a wider incident, generally by sending letters, faxes, emails or making calls to media, policymakers and other key stakeholders. SAR provides background on the situation, contact information for stakeholders and draft text for messages. View SAR's previous and recent alerts and letters of appeal here.
Academic Freedom Workshops
In a knowledge-driven world, academic freedom is more important than ever. Recognising this, Scholars at Risk and the Network for Education and Academic Rights (NEAR), together with partners worldwide, facilitated a series of workshops to raise awareness of academic freedom and related values - including access, accountability/transparency, academic freedom/quality, autonomy/good governance, and social responsibility. Each workshop aimed to better understand the local and regional dimensions of these issues, while inviting participants to inform on-going research and advocacy to promote academic freedom worldwide.
Curriculum
A separate workshops website provides summaries of each event along with a curriculum, materials and resources to help users to develop their own advocacy activities, with the view to expanding the community of international academic freedom defenders even more.
Student Advocacy Seminars
Scholars at Risk seeks interest from network institutions to participate in SAR’s Student Advocacy Seminars, an opportunity for teams of faculty-supervised students to engage in research and advocacy on behalf of detained, imprisoned or missing scholars, in cooperation with SAR’s Scholars in Prison project.
As part of the project, each participating campus will adopt one or more imprisoned or missing scholars. Participating faculty will arrange for and supervise a small group seminar, independent study, or internship workshop for students from their own institution. The program can be designed for one semester or longer, and for academic, service or writing credit. Students enrolling in the seminar would gain experience in human rights research, standards and mechanisms; persuasive writing (including case dossiers, letters and appeal campaigns); leadership development; advocacy and lobbying; and awareness-building. Students will work to raise awareness of the scholar’s situation and conditions in the country or region. Faculty will supervise student activities and coordinate with SAR staff.
For additional information, download SAR's informational flyer or contact the Scholars at Risk network office.