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1) This past year at @theFIREorg, I’ve been focusing on international censorship and its relationship to higher education in the U.S. Due to Covid-19 and the push to go online, it’s gotten even more complicated. Here’s what happened on this issue in 2020:
2) A University of Minnesota international student was sentenced to prison when he returned to China. His crime? Tweets he posted about President Xi while studying in the US. The case serves as a warning to students that their speech will follow them. https://www.thefire.org/university-of-minnesota-students-arrest-in-china-a-warning-to-international-students-abroad/
3) Northwestern University’s campus in Qatar, which has commitments to academic freedom, canceled an event featuring an openly gay musician. Its partner, the Qatar Foundation, said the event “did not correlate” with "Qatari laws” and "social customs.” https://www.thefire.org/northwestern-university-in-qatar-partner-claims-controversial-event-was-canceled-due-to-qatari-laws-cultural-and-social-customs/
4) The Crimson broke the news in April that a Harvard Law admin interfered with a Chinese dissident and human rights lawyer’s campus event in 2015 because its timing coincided with the Harvard president’s trip to China and might “embarrass” the university. https://www.thefire.org/report-harvard-law-school-administrator-canceled-2015-event-on-dissent-in-china/
5) Zoom, which markets itself as a higher ed tool, removed accounts outside of mainland China because they hosted a Tiananmen event. While Zoom adjusted its policies after that, questions remain about the relationship between academic freedom and Zoom. https://www.thefire.org/free-speech-coalition-warns-zoom-chinas-censorship-requests-could-impact-online-teaching/
6) Hong Kong's National Security Law has been disastrous for expressive rights — including academic freedom. A lot of universities have partnerships in Hong Kong. They urgently need to assess how the NSL will impact student and faculty rights. https://www.thefire.org/universities-should-reassess-hong-kong-partnerships-after-imposition-of-national-security-law/
7) ICE’s policy forcing out international students in all-online classes was rescinded in July. That policy could’ve led to heightened academic freedom concerns because of internet censorship issues abroad. https://www.thefire.org/ice-rescinds-policy-forcing-out-international-students-in-all-online-classes/
8) The National Security law is a global threat to expressive freedoms. Faculty at campuses around the world are grappling with efforts to protect student safety while preserving academic freedom. We’re tracking those efforts here: https://www.thefire.org/resources/home-abroad-resources/universities-respond-to-chinas-censorship-efforts/
9) The UN Special Rapporteur released a comprehensive report calling for greater academic freedom protections. @TheFIREorg sent letters to hundreds of universities encouraging them to adopt the report’s recommendations. https://www.thefire.org/the-united-nations-is-taking-notice-of-academic-freedom-fire-is-asking-hundreds-of-colleges-to-do-the-same/
10) Last month, a Brandeis panel on Uyghur Muslims was Zoombombed. Before that, students contacted administrators to complain about the event. Their letters called on the university not to condemn China and to instead have “impartial” discussions on it. https://www.thefire.org/brandeis-panel-on-uyghur-muslims-faces-calls-for-cancellation-zoombombing/
11) To sum up: U.S. higher education is impacted by global censorship issues. It’s vital that we monitor that impact and its effect on universities’ speech commitments and obligations. Interested in learning more? Reach out or read more stories here: https://www.thefire.org/resources/home-abroad-resources/newsdesk-articles-home-abroad/
