Scholars at Risk launches SAR Europe

On 28 November the Scholars at Risk (SAR) Network in partnership with the University of Maynooth launched Scholars at Risk Europe. The launch was held at the European Parliament in Brussels together with a roundtable discussion on Academic Freedom, hosted by Wajid Khan MEP. SAR Europe will have as its main aim to coordinate and administer the network’s activities in Europe, and to foster further cooperation with and between Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) on supporting at-risk scholars and promoting academic freedom. The University of Maynooth will act as the headquarters of SAR Europe, since both completely trust in the power of universities to address public debate and raising awareness.

The purpose of SAR Europe is to aid colleagues and scholars in any situations where academic freedom is threatened. In this regard, SAR’s European Director Sinead O’Gorman strongly asserted that «challenges to academic freedom range in severity, the scope of such challenges is immense and global, and no country can be considered immune».

In Europe, academic freedom is a fundamental right, referring to the Article 13 of the Charter of Fundamental Right of European Union, which indicates the willingness of European policymakers to take measures to protect and strengthen academic freedom. That is why, above all, SAR Europe is important for the message it stands for: a unified voice will make a difference.

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