Last year, a study by Laura Murphy, American professor of human rights and contemporary slavery at Sheffield Hallam University (United Kingdom) was refused for publication by the institution. The investigation was into forced labor practices that Uyghur Muslims allegedly face, and was reportedly rejected due to a campaign of intimidation and harassment by the Beijing Government, according to information contained in reports by The Guardian and the BBC. The fact is that, recently, and several months after this episode, the British University apologized to the professor – but not before she initiated legal action against the institution – stating that “she wishes to make clear her commitment to supporting her research and to guaranteeing and promoting freedom of expression and academic freedom within the law”.
A decision that arises after entry new free speech laws came into force in England in August, with the Office for Students’ free speech advocate, Arif Ahmed, warning that the regulator would take action if universities gave in to pressure from foreign governments regarding areas of research that could generate controversy – essentially, to try to stop what has been (allegedly) happening at some North American institutions.
At a time when Governments around the world are waving the banner of the 2030 Agenda of the UN Sustainable Development Goals – which includes, for example, the basic fulfillment of the most basic human rights – it is still absolutely fascinating (please, dear reader, detect the irony!) that freedoms are increasingly threatened. And if universities, which should be the guarantors of free thought and unlimited research, are so easily controlled by governments thousands of kilometers away, perhaps we all have to stop and think about what kind of world we are building. Where money, politics and diplomatic relations are worth more than the citizens that, I repeat, these rulers swore to protect.
The fact that in 2025 we need legal action to acknowledge guilt on the part of a university that, on purpose, vetoed the publication of a legitimate investigation, is more than enough of a sign for all the alarms to sound, loud, clear and with bright flashing lights. Because what lies ahead can only be very dark.