Academic Freedom Reports from Around the World

Noemi Bouet
After weeks of violence in Burkina Faso, in which at least six students died, the government has shut down all universities until further notice. The Yemini army has injured 98 students while attempting to halt protests on campuses. In Sudan, 100 students and youths have been arrested since January and many have reported severe mistreatment and torture. An Iranian history lecturer has been dismissed after publishing critical articles, and the Iranian Ministry of Education has announced new restrictions on students abroad. In Malawi, lecturers striking against interference in academic freedom have defied a presidential order to go back to work.
After weeks of violence and a major demonstration, the government has shut down all universities across Burkina Faso until further notice, the Washington Post reported on 14 March.
At least six students have died in clashes with the police over the last month. Damage to public offices in the northern city of Ouahigouya, and cuts to social services for students have also been reported.
The government closed universities in response to student protests related to the death of Justin Zongo, a student who died on 20 February while in police custody in Koudougou, west of the capital Ouagadougou.
The Yemeni army wounded 98 students during an attempt to stop protests taking place on university campuses, the Guardian reported on 9 March 2011.
The army violently attacked students who have been camping on campuses since mid-February to protest against President Ali Abdullah Saleh. Inspired by recent popular unrest in Tunisia and Egypt, students at Sana'a University are calling the president to step down.
The government's attempt to control and stop the protests ended with a violent confrontation between the army and the students.
Soldiers used rubber bullets and tears gas to break up the protest and wounded 98 students. According to health workers, a number of students are severely injured.
Seyed Hossein Javdani, a history lecturer at Payame Noor University in Mashad, has been dismissed after publishing critical articles, the International Campaign for Human Rights in Iran reported on 7 March.
Javdani was banned from teaching at Payame Noor University after the university security unit and security organisations requested the faculty not to assign him courses at the beginning of the new term. He said he had not been directly informed of his dismissal.
According to Javdani, who is also a member of the central council of Khorasan's Tahkim-e Vahdat Alumni Association (Advar) branch and former secretary of Tehran University's Islamic Association of Democracy Seeking Students, his activities outside the university are not in any measure related to his function and duties as a lecturer.
More on the University World News site
Source: University World News, Issue No: 0163, 20 March 2011