1/ HRF condemns Beijing’s pressure on UK-based Sheffield Hallam University (SHU) to halt Professor @LauraTMurphy‘s work on Uyghur forced labor and supply chains in China. A university ban on Murphy’s research lasted from February to October of this year. (TheGuardian)
2/ For two years, the Chinese government sought to intimidate SHU. Tactics included a state security visit to SHU’s Beijing office, interrogation of SHU’s China-based staff, and blocking SHU’s websites in China.
3/ The UK remains a top destination for overseas Chinese students. Universities’ reliance on tuition fees and CCP-affiliated funding leaves the UK’s higher education system vulnerable to China’s leverage, threatening academic freedom and institutional autonomy.
4/ Through economic leverage and political coercion, the CCP has extended its censorship to free societies. Universities must stand firm and defend academic freedom globally. (HRF)
