Do you think academic research is under attack? What if we told you doing a PhD can get you life in prison?
Back in April 2018, 31-year-old British student Matthew Hedges had just finished a two-week visit to the United Arab Emirates. Hedges conducted multiple interviews as part of his PhD on the effects of the Arab Spring on the Gulf States.
Minutes before heading back home, Hedges was arrested at Dubai International Airport. He was held in solitary confinement for six months, and accused of spying and providing confidential information to outside sources.
The Abu Dhabi court found Hedges guilty and sentenced him to life in prison.
Then-Prime Minister Theresa May, intelligence agencies such as MI6, and NGOs like Human Rights Watch criticised the trial. The UAE President eventually pardoned Hedges, and returned safely back home. Happy ending right? No; this attack on academic research is one of many stories that we have heard of over the past few years.
These attacks occur even within our supposedly democratic European borders.
A few years earlier, the Hungarian Parliament made it illegal “for some independent universities to operate. They required the approval from the Hungarian government to remain open.
This meant that the Hungarian government could ban universities by refusing to sign a continuation contract. Shortly after, the Hungarian Government passed a ban “on gender studies within higher education. The two Universities affected by this band, ELTE and the CEU, were given just 24 hours to respond.”
Meanwhile, Polish President Andrzej Duda signed a law that imposed five-year prison sentences on anyone who argued that Poland, or that the Polish people, were in any way responsible for Soviet or Nazi crimes. Israeli politicians, including Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, described this move as “a way to re-write history.”
Academics are trying to take a stand in favour of academic freedom.
Hungarian academic Daniela Crăciun and American academic Georgiana Mihut wrote a paper, entitled “Requiem for a Dream: Academic Freedom under Threat in Democracies”. They noted that “academic freedom in democratic countries is both a powerful indicator and a consequence of democratic decline. The protection of academic freedom represents an important societal tool for inclusiveness and guards against power abuses.”
“Teaching and researching freely ensure that history is not forgotten, and that the checks and balances necessary for a working democracy are maintained. Academic freedom is important for the wellbeing of universities, and that of the countries and regions in which they operate.”
The spirit of academic freedom, the never-ending pursuit of legal discourse and innovative thinking, is being threatened.
Student-run academic journals have proven their resilience and strength in this regard. What were once ambitious (if not overzealous) projects, are gradually becoming essential drivers for democracy. They fuel the most relevant, up-to-date and important debates in our society.
It is with this in mind that GħSL once again has embarked on its “Call for Submissions” campaign.
Our legal journal, “Id-Dritt”, is the only legal student-run journal on campus of its type. As it approaches its thirtieth edition this year, its importance more obvious than ever. Meanwhile, the GħSL Online Law Journal provides an opportunity for the law student body to sharpen their writing, to get an early taste of what researching, writing and publishing academic articles is all about.
In light of the present threats that academic writing is facing, GħSL invites the local law-student corps to get in touch with us, and submit their own ideas for publication.
It is only together that the innovative spirit of law and academic progress finds its feet. Together we can reach substantial influence on our policy makers, as well as our society in general.
