A letter penned and signed by academics around the world is being circulated to urge President Biden to take more substantial political action on behalf of Iranian student protestors who, for months now, have faced brutal attacks perpetrated by Iranian authorities. Following the murder of Mahsa Amini in September 2022, Iranian students and professors have withstood threats to academic freedom as the regime continues to attempt to quell protests by committing egregious acts of injustice in the form of arrests, shootings, beatings, kidnappings, and torture. The petition specifically asks that President Biden halt all negotiations with the Iranian state, prevent sanction relief in any form, and recognize the right to self-defense of the Iranian people as they “seek to attain sovereignty and self-determination.” The letter can be read in its entirety here. Endangered Scholars Worldwide (ESW) endorses the petition and calls for additional signatures to the letter addressed to President Biden, which has currently accumulated over four thousand signatories, including ten American Nobel Laureates and over one hundred members of the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. The letter is available for signature here. ESW continues to condemn the ongoing detention and mistreatment of Iranian protestors, including students, academics, and civilians, who continue to be oppressed by Iranian security and police. We call upon all international organizations, academic and professional associations, and other groups and individuals devoted to the promotion and defense of human rights and academic freedom to strongly protest and condemn the actions of the Iranian government and security forces; to ask for all arrested student protestors’ immediate and unconditional release; and to support the local protests on behalf of Mahsa Amini and the Iranian students, who continue to advocate for their justice and freedom. Please see ESW’s Iran country page for additional coverage. Please send appeals on behalf of the student protestors to the following: Ayatollah Ali Khamenei The Office of the Supreme Leader Jomhouri Street Tehran Islamic Republic of Iran Fax: +98 21 644 11 Website: http://www.leader.ir/langs/en/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/www.Khamenei.ir President Raisi The Office of the President Palestine Avenue, Azerbaijan Intersection Tehran Islamic Republic of Iran Javad Zarif Minister of Foreign Affairs The Minister’s Office Imam Khomeini Square Tehran Islamic Republic of Iran Fax: +98 21 66743149 Website: http://www.mfa.gov.ir Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/jzarif Michelle Bachelet United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights Palais des Nations CH-1211 Geneva 10, Switzerland Email: InfoDesk@ohchr.org

On November 30, 2022, a martial court in Myanmar sentenced seven university students who attend Dagon University to death following deliberation in closed-door trials. According to Human Rights Watch (HRW), the students are Khant Zin Win; Thura Maung Maung; Zaw Lin Naing; Thiha Htet Zaw; Hein Htet; Thet Paing Oo; and Khant Linn Maung Maung. Execution dates remain unannounced. The sentences of the students, all of whom are under the age of 25, were issued on charges of assassinating a retired military official and a manager of a state-owned bank, Saw Moe Win, in April 2022, even though the assassination was claimed by the guerrilla group Anti-Fascist Armed Forces and their ally, the Yangon Liberation Force. UN Human Rights Chief, Volker Türk, described the death sentences and indiscriminate arrests as a “political tool” weaponized by the regime to “crush [any] opposition” that stands against the junta government. The opaque nature of the proceedings is also intended to obstruct due process, infringing on the “most basic…fair trial guarantees.” HRW also reports that any convictions are typically contrived from confessions extracted under torture which include beatings and other abusive and cruel treatments. A group of 233 student unions released a joint statement on December 3 condemning the death sentences and refused to accept the court’s ruling; they have since called for “international action to prevent such killings.” The National Unity Government (NUG), which banded together in exile after the coup, also “strongly denounced” the regime’s murders and death sentences, calling for the release of “all young people and other political activists.” On December 15, the same Myanmar court in Yangon’s Insein Prison extended the initial three-year sentence of another imprisoned student from Dagon University, Ye Lin Oo, to ten years for “incitement against the military,” which he was initially charged with in March 2022. Ye Lin Oo, along with five others, had been arrested in September 2021 for anti-junta protesting. In addition to Oo and his peers, Dagon University Students’ Union states that, since the coup took place, at least 40 students have been arrested by the military. In addition to the targeting of students, academics, and journalists, the Assistance Association for Political Prisoners (AAPP) reports that at least 2,500 civilians have been killed by the Myanmar regime and 16,500 have been arrested. AAPP also states that since February 2021, 130 people have been sentenced to death in similar secretive court proceedings. Endangered Scholars Worldwide (ESW) condemns the death sentences of students, activists, and other civilians ordered by Myanmar’s secretive military courts. We endorse the UN High Commissioner's actions in investigating the closed-door trials that stand to conceal unjust decision-making resulting in violations of these students’ rights to a fair trial and peaceful protest. ESW also stands with HRW’s demand for the junta to “impose a moratorium on the death penalty with the aim of abolishing capital punishment in the country.” ESW calls upon all international organizations, academic and professional associations, and other groups and individuals devoted to the promotion and defense of human rights to strongly protest and condemn these death sentences; to ask for their immediate and unconditional release upon appeal; and to stand in solidarity with the Burmese people, who continue to oppose the military regime that illegitimately interrupted democratic politics in the country. Please send appeals to the following: Ambassador Aung Lynn Embassy of Myanmar (Burma) 2300 S Street, NW, Washington DC 20008, USA mewdcusa@gmail.com, mewdcusa@yahoo.com (202) 332-3344, (202) 332-4350, (202) 332-4352 Kyaw Moe Tun Permanent Representative of the Republic of the Union of Myanmar to the United Nations 10 E 77th St, New York, NY 10075, USA myanmarmission@verizon.net (212) 744-1271

After weeks of widespread anti-regime protests on behalf of Mahsa Amini, the Islamic Republic of Iran has begun issuing death sentences for detained demonstrators. The first call for capital punishment came on November 13 to an unnamed individual who was tried for multiple offenses, including “setting fire to a government center” and “disturbing public order.” An additional three death sentences were ordered at other anti-government protestors on November 17, and, according to Amnesty International, 21 more detainees have been charged with offenses punishable by death. While it is unclear if the sentenced Iranian protestors are university students, it is not unlikely that students will be at risk of the same punishment going forward. In early November, Iran’s judiciary announced that 1,024 indictments had been issued solely to demonstrators in the Tehran province, the most populated region in Iran with tens of higher education institutions, including the country’s prestigious Sharif University of Technology and Alzahra University. Moreover, on November 8 the Iranian Parliament issued a letter calling for harsher punishments of protestors, including public executions. The issuance of the letter was followed by the procession of the Parliament’s chanting “death to seditionists.” University students and faculty are demonstrably at risk of the regime’s explicit desires for ruthless, unjust punishment. The latest death sentences are part of a larger ongoing pattern of autocratic violence that the Iranian authorities have deployed to crackdown on widespread resistance. In detainment, there has been evidence that protestors have been “subjected to torture and other ill-treatment” that have led to forced confessions, which are then used as valid evidence in “speedy” court trials. Iran Human Rights, which called on universities around the world to condemn the government crackdown targeting Iranian campuses several weeks ago, spoke out again on the expedient and heinous trials on November 17. "Protesters don't have access to lawyers in the interrogation phase,” director Mahmood Amiry-Moghaddam said. “They are subjected to physical and mental torture to give false confessions and sentenced based on the confessions.” To mitigate further legal injustices, Amnesty International has urged all governments with embassies in Iran to immediately send high level observers to all ongoing trials where defendants are at risk of being sentenced to death. Disproportionate use of force by Iranian security forces is not limited to the prison; they have also brutally attacked and, in some instances, murdered protestors on the streets, during the demonstrations. On November 15, 12 people were reportedly killed by police in another demonstration, according to BBC. Then again on November 16, media reports indicated another five protestors were killed in the city of Izeh. Endangered Scholars enjoins Amnesty International’s calls for the Iranian authorities to immediately cease all death sentences and drop all charges related to the nonviolent exercise of human rights. ESW deplores and condemns the use of force by the Iranian state, which has resulted in multiple deaths and injuries following the murder of Amini. We also condemn the ongoing detention and mistreatment of Iranian protestors, including university students and staff, who continue to be abused, arrested, and violated by Iranian security and police. We call upon all international organizations, academic and professional associations, and other groups and individuals devoted to the promotion and defense of human rights and academic freedom to strongly protest and condemn the actions of the Iranian government and security forces; to ask for all student protestors’ immediate and unconditional release; and to support the local protests on behalf of Mahsa Amini and the Iranian students, who continue to advocate for their justice and freedom. Please send appeals on behalf of the student protestors to the following: Ayatollah Ali Khamenei The Office of the Supreme Leader Jomhouri Street Tehran Islamic Republic of Iran Fax: +98 21 644 11 Website: http://www.leader.ir/langs/en/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/www.Khamenei.ir President Raisi The Office of the President Palestine Avenue, Azerbaijan Intersection Tehran Islamic Republic of Iran Javad Zarif Minister of Foreign Affairs The Minister’s Office Imam Khomeini Square Tehran Islamic Republic of Iran Fax: +98 21 66743149 Website: http://www.mfa.gov.ir Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/jzarif Michelle Bachelet United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights Palais des Nations CH-1211 Geneva 10, Switzerland Email: InfoDesk@ohchr.org

In late October 2022, the Jammu and Kashmir Administrative Council (JKAC) passed the Jammu and Kashmir University bill of 2022 without consulting the universities in the region. Designed specifically for this region, the new bill reduces the autonomy of public universities in the Jammu and Kashmir province, which is a highly militarized zone that until August 2019 was granted special status of autonomy in Article 370. The new bill severely reduces university autonomy. The recent bill replaces the current screening process for new academic positions with a new screening process under the control of the government, the Public Service Commission (JKPSC) and Service Selection Recruitment Board (SSRB), through J & K Public Service Commission. The new screening process includes written tests, the contents of which are determined by the J & K Public Service Commission. The bill also proposes inter-university transfers of scholars, again with the discretion of the Lieutenant Governor of J & K. The Lt Governor will act as Chancellor of the universities, in a position to dismiss any university employee under the suspicion of a “security threat” and do so without any inquiry. Finally, the bill requires universities to provide annual reports to the governing council which has the power to review every aspect of university functioning. Photo credits: Stand With Kashmir This bill is only the latest attempt in a series of government moves to oppress and censor academic activity in Kashmir. Since the formal removal of Kashmir’s special status, academic censorship and restriction has been one of many ways, through which the Indian government has maintained control over the region. Kashmiri academics have been closely monitored, surveilled, and told to pursue academic interests that align with the “national interest”. Public persecution, stigmatization, harassment, and restrictions on mobility are also barriers that Kashmiri scholars face. In 2021, the Indian government introduced a new law allowing the dismissal, detention, and arrest of regional government employees under the pretense of national security, which mostly targeted the Department of Education staff. More recently, a Kashmiri scholar was arrested on April 2022 for an article he had written ten years ago. A stifling and severe consequence of the bill is that universities will not be able to create any new positions, hire new faculty, revise pay or grant special pay to any employee without approval from the government. Jammu University Teachers Association (JUTA) commented that universities are meant to be autonomous bodies and professors are not government employees. JUTA also commented that scholars are not “public servants” and therefore should not be under the purview of the government. JUTA is further concerned that scholars who focus on research will be moved away from public universities, in turn causing a collapse of research culture in public institutions and a decrease in the quality of teaching. Endangered Scholars Worldwide joins JUTA in condemning government intervention of the functioning of higher education institutions, which infringes on their autonomy. ESW also joins in JUTA’s demand to withdraw this bill and urges the global academic community to join us in demanding the Indian government to honor their obligations under international humanitarian law and human rights treaties, including to ensure free and unhindered humanitarian access to people in need of assistance and protection, open borders for the safe movement of students, faculty, artists, human rights activists, and journalists; and to honor the right to education and free expression. Sources and further readings: https://www.dailyexcelsior.com/juta-rejects-jk-public-university-bill-2022-terms-it-retrogressive/ https://kashmirlife.net/jk-public-universities-bill-2022govt-proposes-recruitment-in-universities-through-jkpsc-ssrb-302823/ https://www.dailyexcelsior.com/jk-universities-bill-envisages-appointments-through-psc-ssb-nomination-of-registrar/ https://standwithkashmir.org/india-is-coercing-kashmiris-academics-to-submit-and-self-censor/

As the anti-regime protests that started in the wake of Mahsa Amini’s murder by the state enters its tenth week in Iran, Iran Human Rights (IHRNGO), an organization based in Norway, has called on universities around the world to condemn the government crackdown that targets university campuses. According to IHRNGO, the state-sanctioned security forces-led sieges and attacks on higher education institutions is an “outrageous violation” of human rights and university autonomy. This call to action comes after the Human Rights Activists News Agency (HRANA) reported on November 2 that more than 130 Iranian universities have participated in nationwide protests and over 400 university students have been arrested. It is also estimated that at least 277 Iranians have died since the protests first began. In the call to action, IHRNGO’s Director, Mahmoud Amiry-Moghaddam, asks “universities and academic institutions around the world to support student demands and condemn the outrageous violation of university campuses by Islamic Republic forces.” Amiry-Moghaddam, who also spoke with University World News, reiterated that “it is important to send the message to heads of universities and university management in Iran that they are also responsible for [protecting] the students.” IHRNGO’s full statement is available here. The protesters have simply demanded to end the gender apartheid regime of the Islamic republic and to guarantee individual and civic rights, including gender equity. As reported in previous ESW articles, Iranian security forces have violently attacked student protestors, committed them to psychological facilities for “reform,” and kidnapped several others from their university dormitories. One student from Guilan University confided that “more and more university guards and later plainclothes forces were sent in camouflage among us. They take photos and videos and spot certain students who seem to be more active and arrest them outside the university.” UN OHCHR also reported cases of physical and sexual violence against women and girls during protests, as an intimidation tactic to frighten the protesters and their families. Nevertheless, Iranian university students continue to take up their chant “Woman, Life, Freedom” in organized protests, even at the risk of expulsion, assault, and arrest. University cafeterias, in particular, have become “a new front line.” Students are now organizing to eat lunch together in what have typically been gender-segregated dining halls, moving to outdoor protest picnics when faced with retaliation by the university or police authorities. Their resiliency has been a key factor in the movement’s momentum, which is the reason that the government’s crackdowns on university students has been so violent. Endangered Scholars Worldwide (ESW) fully endorses IHRNGO’s call to action and continues to stand with the protestors who seek to defend the unjust, lost life of Mahsa Amini and commend their efforts to use academic freedom as a tool for solidarity and justice. ESW deplores and condemns the use of force by the Iranian state, which has resulted in multiple deaths and injuries following the murder of Amini. We also condemn the ongoing detention and mistreatment of Iranian protestors who continue to be abused, arrested, and violated by Iranian security and police. We call upon all international organizations, academic and professional associations, and other groups and individuals devoted to the promotion and defense of human rights and academic freedom to strongly protest and condemn the actions of the Iranian government and security forces; to ask for all student protestors’ immediate and unconditional release; and to support the local protests on behalf of Mahsa Amini and the Iranian students, who continue to advocate for their justice and freedom. Please see ESW’s Iran country page for additional coverage. Please send appeals on behalf of the student protestors to the following: Ayatollah Ali Khamenei The Office of the Supreme Leader Jomhouri Street Tehran Islamic Republic of Iran Fax: +98 21 644 11 Website: http://www.leader.ir/langs/en/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/www.Khamenei.ir President Raisi The Office of the President Palestine Avenue, Azerbaijan Intersection Tehran Islamic Republic of Iran Javad Zarif Minister of Foreign Affairs The Minister’s Office Imam Khomeini Square Tehran Islamic Republic of Iran Fax: +98 21 66743149 Website: http://www.mfa.gov.ir Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/jzarif Michelle Bachelet United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights Palais des Nations CH-1211 Geneva 10, Switzerland Email: InfoDesk@ohchr.org

Photo credit: Bianet On October 26, 2022, Sebnem Korur Fincanci, internationally renowned professor emeritus of forensic medicine and the current chair of Turkish Medical Association (TTB), was detained in Istanbul for “spreading terrorist propaganda” and “insulting the Turkish nation, the state of the Republic of Turkey, state institutions and organs.” The 63-year-old was taken into custody during an early morning home raid and was immediately taken to the courthouse. After a three-hour interrogation, the Justice of the Peace court remanded her in custody. The arrest was ordered by the Chief Public Prosecutor’s Office in Ankara, following Korur Fincanci’s public interview on October 20. During the interview, which was streamed on a pro-Kurdish media channel, Korur Fincanci shared her professional opinion as a forensic scientist. In response to claims that the Turkish army has used chemical weapons against the PKK militants in Northern Iraq, where Turkey has been conducting ‘special military operations,’ she called for an investigation by an independent, third-party commission. Her comments have triggered unexpected public reaction, stigmatizing her for dishonoring the Turkish military and state. Government officials, including President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, accused her of "slander." The Minister of Justice Bekir Bozdag announced their intentions to reform the administrative structure of the TBB and dismiss Korur Fincanci from her position. Her arrest was strongly condemned by the World Medical Association, Physicians for Human Rights, Amnesty International, and German Medical Association, among many others. Civil society organizations, Turkish doctors and local branches of the TTB organized across Turkey. During the protests in Istanbul, at least 57 people were detained. In the past years, the TTB and Korur Fincanci as its chair have been targeted by President Erdogan for criticizing the AKP government, especially in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic management. The TTB is the professional association of healthcare professionals in Turkey, which regulates the standards of medical profession and ethics, and protects the rights of healthcare professionals. According to the joint statement of Human Rights Association (IHD) and Human Rights Foundation of Turkey (TIHV), “the detention process took place as a result of the pressure and intervention of political power on the judiciary, with its stigmatizing, discrediting and even criminalizing discourses for days.” We at the Endangered Scholars Worldwide stand in solidarity with those who strive for their legally entrenched and internationally protected rights and freedoms. ESW condemns the Turkish government’s treatment of Sebnem Korur Fincanci and urges her immediate release and reinstatement to her position. We strongly condemn the recurring attacks on academic freedom and the autonomy of higher education institutions in Turkey. The Turkish government’s attacks on professional organizations and scholars criminalize freedoms of speech and of association, as well as it discredits scientific knowledge. ESW urges the Turkish authorities to respect and guarantee the autonomy of scholarly knowledge and freedom of speech in Turkey and to implement the provisions and principles of human rights as specified in international conventions and treaties, and to drop any charges against the accused arising from their nonviolent exercise of the rights to expression, association, and assembly.

On October 26th, students and citizens across Iran rallied together in coordinated marches and demonstrations as part of their on-going call to demand justice for Mahsa Amini, an Iranian woman who died in detainment after she was arrested by “morality police'' for wearing her hijab “improperly.” The protests on the 26th marked the fortieth day since Amini’s untimely death and were met with egregious police violence that has become part and parcel of the Iranian government’s crackdown on civic unrest. BBC News reports that at least 300 Iranian students have been detained since Amini’s death, which caused a national and global outcry this past September. The release of these students has become one of the demands of the protestors whose violent repression by Iranian security forces continues to increase. University students who have participated in recent marches and boycotts have not only been arrested by Iranian authorities, but have been taken to mental health institutions against their will, according to CNN. Iran’s Education Minister Yousef Nouri confirmed that students have in fact been booked into “psychological institutions” to supposedly “reform” and “reeducate” them. In addition to legal and psychological detentions, the brutal attacks on the protestors by Iranian military and police forces have taken the lives of hundreds. Iran’s Human Rights Activist News Agency (HRANA) reports that an estimated 222 people have been killed since the protests began, many of which are university students. These extreme acts of political and physical abuse against Iranian students have also extended to young school children. In mid-October, news outlets reported that a teenage girl, Asra Panahi, died after police confronted a group of protesting girls at a high school in the northern city of Ardebil. Just as in the case of Amini, officials blamed her death on a chronic heart illness and denied any acts of aggression. Amnesty International has also reported that 23 children have died in protests at the hands of the Iranian police since the demonstrations began. Despite all this, Iranian students persevere in their efforts to coordinate anti-government and anti-establishment protests on behalf of Amini and their fellow detained and killed students. On November 1, HRANA posted images of sit-in strikes (pictured above) led by students at several university campuses in the capital whose signs indicated they were protesting on behalf of “imprisoned students.” University students included those at Sharif University of Technology, Al-Zahra University, and Amir Kabir University of Technology, the former of which was the site of multiple attacks on students by police in early October that included the deployment of rubber bullets, tear gas, and beatings. Some political figures have expressed support for these students who remain under attack by the government and police; "universities should be protected,” tweeted Azar Mansouri, a women's rights activist and head of the pro-reform Union of Islamic Iran People Party. “[They should] be a safe space for students.” Endangered Scholars Worldwide (ESW) continues to stand by the protestors who seek to defend the unjust, lost life of Mahsa Amini and commend their efforts to use academic freedom as a tool for solidarity and justice. ESW deplores and condemns the use of force by the Iranian state, which has resulted in multiple deaths and injuries following the murder of Amini. We also condemn the ongoing detention and mistreatment of Iranian protestors who continue to be abused, arrested, and violated by Iranian security and police. We call upon all international organizations, academic and professional associations, and other groups and individuals devoted to the promotion and defense of human rights and academic freedom to strongly protest and condemn the actions of the Iranian government and security forces; to ask for all student protestors’ immediate and unconditional release; and to support the local protests on behalf of Mahsa Amini and the Iranian students who continue to advocate for their justice and freedom. Please see ESW’s last article on the Iranian protests and police violations for additional coverage. Please send appeals on behalf of the student protestors to the following: Ayatollah Ali Khamenei The Office of the Supreme Leader Jomhouri Street Tehran Islamic Republic of Iran Fax: +98 21 644 11 Website: http://www.leader.ir/langs/en/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/www.Khamenei.ir President Raisi The Office of the President Palestine Avenue, Azerbaijan Intersection Tehran Islamic Republic of Iran Javad Zarif Minister of Foreign Affairs The Minister’s Office Imam Khomeini Square Tehran Islamic Republic of Iran Fax: +98 21 66743149 Website: http://www.mfa.gov.ir Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/jzarif Michelle Bachelet United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights Palais des Nations CH-1211 Geneva 10, Switzerland Email: InfoDesk@ohchr.org

On September 30th, 2022, a suicide blast at an education center in the Dasht-e-Barchi area of western Kabul killed 53 and wounded more than 110. Students were taking a practice exam at a private education center when the attack occurred. According to a male student who survived the blast, there were hundreds of students in the classroom, but most of the casualties were among girls, who were seated at the front row. No group has claimed the attack. Dasht-e-Barchi is a region of western Kabul populated by the Hazara ethnic minority, who are often targeted by the Taliban and the regional affiliate of the ‘Islamic State’. The Hazara are the third largest ethnic group in Afghanistan and mostly observe Shia Islam, which the ‘Islamic’ State and the Taliban both condemn. The Hazara community have been attacked continually in the past decades and they think framing this atrocity merely as an attack on education is not enough. Dozens of Hazara women took to the streets of Dasht-e-Barchi after the attack to protest and were fired upon by the Taliban. The public anger spread to Bamyan, Herat, and Balkh provinces and was responded to with disproportionate violence. In Herat, hundreds of women from Herat University were attacked by the Taliban when peacefully protesting for their right to education and safety. Female university students who were leading the protests against the Taliban regime were merely demanding an end to systematic state violence and discrimination against the Hazara people, chanting “Security is our right! Education is our right! Stop genocide!”. Taliban security forces confront women protesting continued attacks on the Hazara, day after the blast. Photo credits: CBS News Academic freedom and the right to education has rapidly deteriorated under the Taliban rule, especially for women and girls. As Karen Decker, Charge d'Affaires at the US mission to Afghanistan, stated, “Targeting a room full of students taking exams is shameful; all students should be able to pursue an education in peace and without fear”. Endangered Scholars Worldwide, stands by the student and scholars of Afghanistan whose academic and personal lives have been incredibly precarious since the Taliban takeover. We at the ESW condemn the infringement of rights to education and freedom of assembly, especially for women, religious and ethnic minorities. ESW calls on the international community to give full attention to the persecution of women and the Hazara community in Afghanistan. We condemn the Taliban’s decision to refuse women and girls above the sixth grade an opportunity to go to school. In order to support Afghan scholars, students, and civilians around the world, we have compiled a list of resources available through the New University in Exile Consortium and the larger academic and activist communities.

On September 6, a Minsk city court sentenced Marfa Rabkova, a third-year Belarusian student at European Humanities University (EHU) and coordinator of the Volunteer Service at Human Rights Center Viasna, to 15 years in prison for her nonviolent participation in documenting human rights violations committed by Belarusian authorities during post-election protests in 2020. A total of thirteen official charges were made against Rabkova, including “organizing, participating in, and training others to participate in mass riots,” “inciting social hostility towards the government,” and “involvement in a criminal organization.” The protests began after the August 2020 presidential elections in Belarus. The outcome was widely disputed following the Central Election Committee’s claim that Lukashenko had won 80 percent of the vote against his opponent, former English teacher Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya. The Associated Press (AP), along with other news outlets, reported that election workers not only saw ballot fraud but were “pressured to falsify results in favor of Lukashenko.” Hundreds of thousands of protestors participated in mass demonstrations across the country once the sixth term of Lukashenko’s presidency was certified. The eruption was not unexpected, given the longstanding democratic commitments and desires of Belarusians who have witnessed “rigged elections…in every vote in Belarus since Lukashenko took power in 1994,” according to AP. Viasno, the human rights nonprofit organization where Rabkova served as coordinator, was founded in 1996 in response to these ongoing violations to help arrested protestors and to monitor human rights violations. According to Amnesty International, the Belarusian authorities have consistently harassed and interfered with Viasna’s efforts, particularly in the latest election cycle. Rabkova is the first member of Viasna to be detained by the Belarusian government. Both Rabkova and her husband, Vadzim Zharomsky, were arrested after being followed to their home by the Main Directorate for Combatting Organized Crime and Corruption. The couple’s apartment was subsequently raided by authorities and much of their personal belongings were seized. Since their initial arrest in 2020, Zharomsky has been released; however, for two years, from her initial arrest to the declaration of her sentence last month, Rabkova stayed in pretrial detention without a proper indictment and legal due process. Throughout the detention period, her health has significantly deteriorated. Viasna has reported that she endures “constant abdominal pain” and “inflamed lymph nodes” that require serious medical examination, which has been routinely denied to her by prison authorities. Furthermore, she was diagnosed twice with COVID-19 in 2021, having also experienced a third bout of similar COVID symptoms in early 2022. As with many oppressive political regimes, Rabkova’s case is not singular. More and more “closed-door trials” have sentenced other political prisoners who have protested Belarusian human rights violations and political injustices since the most recent re-election of Lukashenko. Rabkova and others continue to face the brutal treatment of a government that exploits its citizenry and falsely espouses democratic principles. Endangered Scholars Worldwide (ESW) condemns the sentencing and unjustifiable harsh treatment of Marfa Rabkova, alongside other students and civic activists, who continue to struggle for freedom and democracy. ESW endorses the letter penned and circulated by Scholars at Risk, which calls on Lukashenko’s government to immediately release Rabkova and ensure her well-being and access to proper medical treatment, legal counsel, and family. We remain deeply concerned about the continual violations perpetuated by the Belarusian authorities against the rights of students and academics who remain committed to justice and democracy, and we condemn the arbitrary detention and inhumane incarceration of all who exercised their civic rights and liberties by participating in peaceful democratic protests. ESW calls upon all international organizations, academic and professional associations, and other groups and individuals devoted to the promotion and defense of human rights and academic freedom to strongly protest and condemn the actions of Lukashenko’s regime; to appeal for Rabkova’s immediate and unconditional release; and to sign and circulate the letter penned on behalf of Rabkova by Scholars at Risk. Previous articles on Belarusian violations of academic freedom and injustice by ESW can be found here. Please send appeals on behalf of Marfa Rabkova and other student protesters to the following: The Administration of the President Of the Republic of Belarus Reception of Citizens and Representatives of Legal Entities Residence of the President 38 Karl Marx Street Minsk, Belarus Email: contract@president.gov.by Valentin Rybakov Permanent Representative of Belarus to the United Nations Permanent Mission of Belarus to UN 136 E 67th Street, 4th Fl. New York, NY 10065 Telephone: (212) 535-3420 Fax: (212) 734-4810 E-mail: usaun@mfa.gov.by

Following the wrongful death of 22-year-old Iranian Mahsa Amini on September 16th, the reverberations of which have been felt around the world, Iranian citizens, especially women and students, have taken over the streets to protest the oppressive and discriminatory theocratic rule of Iran and the gender apartheid regime it has established. These protests have been met by appalling acts of violence and aggression from the Iranian security and police forces. Amini, a woman from the city of Saqez, had been arrested on September 13th in Tehran by Iranian “morality police” for displaying too much hair while wearing her hijab. The “morality police,” otherwise known as the Gashte Ershad or guidance patrols, are traditionally tasked with enforcing the Islamic Republic’s dress code to “promote virtue and prevent vice.” Three days after her arrest, Amini died in custody after falling into a coma. Saleh Nikbakht, the Amini family’s lawyer, told reporters that they believe Amini was beaten in custody, contrary to the government’s claim that she suffered from pre-existing conditions. Women who were detained alongside Amini attest to her having been beaten by police. Iranian university students have joined the Iranian women’s protests, which has significantly increased the size and frequency of the demonstrations. Students have called for strikes and boycotting both in-person and online classes. Professors, too, have joined in these protests. It is estimated that students from over 110 universities have joined the demonstrations. The police response to the protests has been disproportionately violent, attacking protestors with no concern for human life and dignity. Most egregiously on October 2nd, Iranian security forces violently attacked student protestors at the country’s prestigious Sharif University of Technology in Tehran. Video footage displayed police members shooting rubber bullets, deploying tear gas, beating, and arresting many of the protestors. These horrific events vivify the government’s increased attacks on academic freedom in the wake of Amini’s death. The Center for Human Rights in Iran estimates that as of October 3rd, more than 90 students have been arrested throughout the country and one student has died. It should be noted that Amini’s tragic case is not a singular, isolated event, but the boiling point of a much larger, structural issue that has come to constitute the gender apartheid regime in Iran. Women in Iran have faced “patriarchal control of women’s bodies and the paternalistic domination of public space,” according to New University in Exile Consortium-hosted scholar, Kian Tajbakhsh, in Public Seminar. These nonviolent protests that have now garnered global attention “did not emerge out of nowhere,” continues Tajbakhsh, but are part and parcel of a larger and ongoing effort to demand meaningful political change. We at Endangered Scholars Worldwide (ESW) stand by the protestors who seek to defend the unjust, lost life of Mahsa Amini and commend their efforts to use academic freedom as a tool for solidarity and justice. ESW deplores and condemns the ongoing detention and mistreatment of Iranian protestors who continue to be abused, arrested, and violated by Iranian security and police. We call upon all international organizations, academic and professional associations, and other groups and individuals devoted to the promotion and defense of human rights and academic freedom to strongly protest and condemn the actions of the Iranian government and security forces; to ask for all student protestors’ immediate and unconditional release; and to support the local protests on behalf of Mahsa Amini. Please send appeals on behalf of the student protestors to the following: Ayatollah Ali Khamenei The Office of the Supreme Leader Jomhouri Street Tehran Islamic Republic of Iran Fax: +98 21 644 11 Website: http://www.leader.ir/langs/en/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/www.Khamenei.ir President Raisi The Office of the President Palestine Avenue, Azerbaijan Intersection Tehran Islamic Republic of Iran Javad Zarif Minister of Foreign Affairs The Minister’s Office Imam Khomeini Square Tehran Islamic Republic of Iran Fax: +98 21 66743149 Website: http://www.mfa.gov.ir Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/jzarif Michelle Bachelet United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights Palais des Nations CH-1211 Geneva 10, Switzerland Email: InfoDesk@ohchr.org

Photo credit: Twitter On October 6, 2022, Middle East Studies Association (MESA) published an open letter condemning the violent government response to the ongoing protests in Iran, following the death of 22-year old Mahsa Amini under the custody of the Islamic Republic's notorious morality police. Below you can see MESA's letter. We at the ESW stand in solidarity with Iranian protesters, students, and scholars who strive for their fundamental rights and liberties and endorse MESA's intervention. Ayatollah Ali Khamenei Supreme Leader of the Islamic Republic of Iran c/o H.E. Mr. Takht-Ravanchi Permanent Representative of the Islamic Republic of Iran to the United Nations 622 Third Avenue, 34th Floor New York, NY 10017, USA Email: iran@un.int Fax: +1 (212) 867-7086 Chief Justice Gholamhossein Mohseni Ejehi, Head of the Judiciary c/o H.E. Mr. Takht-Ravanchi Permanent Representative of the Islamic Republic of Iran to the United Nations 622 Third Avenue, 34th Floor New York, NY 10017, USA Email: iran@un.int Fax: +1 (212) 867-7086 Your Excellencies, We write on behalf of the Committee on Academic Freedom of the Middle East Studies Association (MESA) to express our grave concern over the recent attacks on academic institutions, schools, teachers, and students who have joined the peaceful protests that have unfolded in Iran throughout the past weeks following the killing of Mahsa Amini on 16 September 2022. We are alarmed by the more recent news that Iran’s security forces have placed a number of universities under siege, among them, Sharif University of Technology, while many other academic institutions and schools throughout the country have been converted into military bases to suppress protestors. With this latest development, there are reports that the security forces are beating, shooting at, and arresting students and academics who had been on strike while gathering in their universities in solidarity with the protestors. Worryingly, there are also reports that school-aged youth have been subjected to the recent securitization attempts of the state police, as security forces have recruited children to the Basij paramilitary forces to help suppress the protests. Such treatments are a clear violation of the students’ fundamental rights to education, freedom of speech and assembly. In solidarity with the Iranian Teachers’ Union, academics and students, we condemn the brutal manner in which Iranian government forces have responded to these peaceful protests, and ask that you hear the protestors’ cries and respect their demands. MESA was founded in 1966 to promote scholarship and teaching on the Middle East and North Africa. The preeminent organization in the field, MESA publishes the International Journal of Middle East Studies and has over 2,800 members worldwide. MESA is committed to ensuring academic freedom of expression, both within the region and in connection with the study of the region in North America and elsewhere. The disturbing news of Ms. Mahsa (Jhina) Amini’s tragic killing in mid-September over an alleged violation of Iran’s restrictive hijab laws has triggered a nationwide and international outcry. Iranians across the country have taken to the streets to express their anger and frustration over the apparent lack of respect for human life, particularly when it is deemed to challenge strict state ideology on gender and women’s rights. With the slogan, “Woman, Life, Freedom,” the protestors capture the popular demand for basic human rights that have been systematically denied and violated over the past four decades. In a show of exceptional solidarity, the people of Iran have joined in these peaceful protests across gender, race, ethnicity, class, and region, voicing their basic demands from the state. However, Iranian state security forces have responded by opening fire on unarmed protestors, killing at least 83 as of this writing, and arresting thousands more across the country. We are dismayed to learn that Iranian security forces have not spared university campuses, high schools, and other academic institutions -- sites of learning, thinking and exchange -- from the recent crackdowns. With the violent attacks on Sharif University, in early October, we see that state security forces are, in fact, intensifying their attacks and arresting individuals from these locations. These reports are particularly disturbing because they demonstrate the forceful measures that security forces are employing to quell free speech and intellectual exchange. We support the recent calls by the Coordinating Council of Iranian Educators’ Trade Union for faculty and students across the nation to boycott classes for several days. These calls, signed by many institutions across Iran, are again, for peaceful attempts to highlight solidarity with individuals and groups who are boldly taking to the streets to voice their legitimate grievances. Such efforts also decry the clear violations of academic freedom and the right to education by the state security forces, as they transform educational institutions into battlegrounds to violently suppress peaceful protests. The Committee on Academic Freedom of the Middle East Studies Association stands in solidarity with Iran’s scholars, researchers and students, and calls for the Iranian government to heed Iranians’ demands for basic rights to education, speech and peaceful assembly, the same rights protected by Iran’s national laws. We further call on government officials to show restraint in the face of legitimate demands for accountability for police violence against civilians. We agree with Iranian protestors that “Woman, Life, Liberty” must all be respected, and we support Iranians in their attempts to tackle systemic inequality and discrimination based on gender, as well as race or ethnicity, class, and creed. We appeal to the Iranian government to cease attacks on the protestors and seek peaceful avenues to engage the protestors’ legitimate demands, which include accountability for the unlawful killing of Ms. Amini. Thank you for your attention to this urgent matter. We look forward to your response. Sincerely, Eve Troutt Powell MESA President Professor, University of Pennsylvania Laurie Brand Chair, Committee on Academic Freedom Professor Emerita, University of Southern California cc: His Excellency Ebrahim Raisi, President The Honorable Mahmoud Alavi, Minister of Intelligence The Honorable Hossein Amir-Abdollahian, Minister of Foreign Affairs The Honorable Takht-Ravanchi, Permanent Representative of Iran to the United Nations The Honorable Volker Türk, UN High Commissioner for Human Rights The Honorable Javaid Rehman, UN Special Rapporteur on the Situation of Human Rights in the Islamic Republic of Iran The Honorable Tlaleng Mofokeng, UN Special Rapporteur on the Right to Physical and Mental Health The Honorable Irene Khan, UN Special Rapporteur on the promotion and protection of the right to freedom of opinion and expression The Honorable Leigh Toomey, Chair-Rapporteur for the Working Group on Arbitrary Detention, UN Human Rights Council The Honorable Josep Borrell Fontelles, High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy

In August 2021, when the US withdrew its forces from Afghanistan and the country was taken over by the Taliban, the American University of Afghanistan (AUAF), one of the premier universities in the country set up by Americans and run on western educational principles, could no longer function in Afghanistan. Following the capture of Kabul by Taliban forces and the collapse of the pro-Western government of Afghanistan, the university moved to Doha, Qatar, where it is temporarily based and has resumed most of its operations online. In August 2022, Ian Bickford, the president of AUAF, confirmed to a US-based radio channel that the university was looking to open a campus in Qatar. Photo credits: Inside Higher Ed Now, a little more than a year later, the Taliban have taken over the AUAF campus and its buildings with the intention of creating a university based on strict Islamic principles and have immediately renamed AUAF to Afghan International University (AIU). Although the Taliban government had publicly declared their intention of creating a new higher education institution, they had not announced its location, but recently a banner has appeared on the West Campus displaying the new name in different languages. The Taliban Deputy Minister for Higher Education has stated that AIU will be the 40th public university in Afghanistan and cater to postgraduates. However, as one of the most dangerous places in the world for education, Afghanistan is experiencing a large deficit in the number of professors. About 400 university professors have left the country since the Taliban came to power, while many other faculty and students who could not leave the country have gone into hiding. The Taliban have long considered AUAF an enemy, due to its Western style pedagogy and its funding from the United States, including USAID. In 2016, the Taliban attacked the campus, killing at least 15 students and staff. After the attack, the AUAF resumed classes only to stop them altogether since the Taliban came into power in Fall 2021. A large number of AUAF students have gone into hiding in fear that they would be seen as associated with the American university. While some students were evacuated as part of the agreement between the U.S and the Taliban, evacuations have now stalled, with the AUAF management concerned about the students still in the country. The AUAF management has declared it will return to its Kabul campus as soon as conditions allow but until then will remain in Qatar. They have also made efforts to relocate their students who are currently in Afghanistan to Doha, Qatar. According to the university administration more than half of their students have left the country and they are trying to relocate the rest to Qatar as soon as possible. Recently, one of these efforts was interrupted by the Taliban. The government forces stopped 62 female AUAF students from leaving the country, as they were traveling without a male guardian. Endangered Scholars Worldwide (ESW) stands with all Afghan students and scholars whose lives, careers, and education are at risk since the Taliban’s return to power. ESW recognizes and condemns the travel and education restrictions placed on especially women and girls by the Taliban. We also denounce the continued decision to refuse young girls into classrooms, using harassment and threats to keep them from their education.