JORDAN: Student incarcerated for writing poem

A student at the University Ibid in Jordan is accused of lees majesty and "causing national strife" on a poem he denies wrote that criticized the King, Human Rights Watch reported on 3 September 2010 Hakim AL-Shula was arrested his university on July 25, after pamphlets of the poem under his name spread around campus.

Al-Shula, who claimed he only knew of the leaflets after he was informed by friends, phoned the police after he confronted by three fellow students about the poem, and all four were arrested. Al-Shula lived since July 29 in per-trial detention in Balsa 'prison and the military prosecutor refused his application for bail.

Jordan is a state party to the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, the right to freedom of expression includes. Despite this, Jordan law states that anyone convicted insulting the King to be jailed for between one and three years, and there are several other laws freedom of expression.

Since King Abdul dissolved parliament in November 2009, the government has many 'temporary' laws without parliamentary approval.

Ukraine: Take into custody of historian research activities

Historian Russian Ability was arrested by the Ukrainian Security Service, the SUB, allegedly on the basis of his research in the Ukrainian Insurgent Army and the Ukraine's independence movement in the 1940s and 1950s, the Ky iv Post reported on 17 September.

Ability, head of Lvov National Memorial Museum of Victims of the Occupation Regimes, Thurman to Longhorn, was arrested on 8 September 2010 and held for 14 hours after his laptop and two external hard drives seized.

The SUB claims that Ability illegally collect state secrets with the intent to distribute them.

More than 100 academics worldwide a petition for the release of Ability and expressing their concern about access to information in the Ukrainian system of higher education signed.

The petition states that "if we share views Russian Ability or not, we consider it absolutely inadmissible for harassing a security service to researchers and hamper intellectual activities ... we believe that the decision of scientific disputes depends on the free flow of ideas and free access to historical sources, no matter how controversial they may be. "

In the last years of his presidency Victor Yevtushenko decided to secret documents in Ukraine's archives, which came under the jurisdiction of the security services, be declassified.

There is concern that access to the archives to a halt under the leadership of the current president, Victor Yanukovych comes.

"A free society requires an honest discussion about the past, which is only possible when access to archives is allowed," said Timothy Snyder, a well-known history professor from Yale University with extensive experience in Eastern Europe.

USA: California university transparency bill veto

California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger a bill that would require foundations and other aid groups tied to California's largest university, California State University and the University of California, to their list of donors to the public voiced open veto, Inside Higher Education reported on 1 October.

Schwarzenegger said the bill would not "sufficient protection for many who rightfully deserve a level of privacy as part of their giving." The University of California and California State University claimed that the bill a "chilling effect" would have on private donations.

The bill by Senator Leland See, a proposal for a regular critic of the university management and spending practices, amid a controversy regarding the refusal of a foundation linked to the California State University the amount spent it to Sarah Plain speaks to bring to the campus public.

The bill would institutions subsidiary organizations subject to public supervision by the California Public Records Act made. See claimed that these subsidiaries allows state universities to hide billions of dollars.

He said that "for a governor who wanted to blow up the boxes and whose rhetoric is filled with platitudes of open government, it is a disgrace and completely hypocritical than legislative veto real transparency and accountability to our public universities spend".

India: Further education college book ban sparks free speech fears

Writers, filmmakers and social commentators expressed fear for freedom of speech after the withdrawal of an acclaimed book from a university curriculum following pressure from hard-Hindu activists, ASP reported on 20 October.

Robinson Misery’s novel so took a long trip from undergraduate arts degree course Mumbai University's vice-chancellor of the complaints and protests of the student wing of Shiva Sean, a far-right political party.

Protests included copies of the novel is burnt by members of the youth wing of the party led by Addy Thackeray, grandson of Shiva Sean founder Ba Thackeray.

Shiva Sean pushes a congregationalist often anti-Muslim, anti-Pakistan agenda and often backs up threats of violence, focusing allegedly unpatriotic and libel and behavior.

Mystery condemned threats and intimidation and accuse the university and its vice-chancellor of bowing to political pressure and institutionalizing self-censorship.

Bloggers and those involved in the arts scene in Mumbai expressed concern about a growing "fascist ethos".

In an article by The Times of India on October 22, it was reported that members of the faculty are pressured by senior administrative officials to publicly declare their support for the decision to pull the book from the curriculum.

Philippines: Student remonstration behavior of academics

Students from universities in the Philippines demonstrated on November 18 at a show cause order brought against 37 members of the faculty at the University of the Philippines faculty of law, ABS CAN News reported.

Students of the University of the Philippines (UP), De La Sella University and Lyceum States from the Philippines marched through the UP campus waving placards reading: "restore integrity" and "to maintain academic freedom".

On October 20, 2010, the Supreme Court ordered the 37 professors to explain why they should not be approved for the public demanding the resignation of a fellow justice Mariano led Castillo over allegations of plagiarism.

In August, released the UP law professors of a public declaration stating that Del Castillo's plagiarism the work of three international lawyers were unacceptable and unethical.

All 37 professors can practice their licenses lost to the profession if they are cited for contempt for the signing of the declaration. The Supreme Court statement UP law professors described as "totally unnecessary, uncalled for and a rash act of vigilance".

UP law dean Marvin Leone has publicly stated that he and other signatories will stand by their actions, saying: "faculty of a law school, we feel it is our duty to the full, free and frank criticism of published decisions the Supreme Court to make. "

Bahrain: lawyer saunter out about make suffer of activists

Defense lawyers of 25 detained opposition and human rights activists, including the professor and blogger Dr. Willabella Al Sing ace, staged a walk-out of the trial of their clients in Bahrain following repeated refusal of the court to investigate the alleged torture of detainees permit, Reporters Without Borders revealed on 9 December.

Following the statement by detainee Mohamed Habit Al-Minded during the third hearing on 25 November that all detainees tortured and degrading treatment, defense lawyers asked for a medical examination to verify these allegations. The defense also requested suspension of the trial under Article 186, to the investigation of torture enable allegations.

According to Al-Sadie Jillian, representing all the defense lawyers, they decided to have a walk-out of the trial stage because they consider it unfair and does not meet international standards. The judicial authorities adjourned the hearing to 23 December

  AL-Sing ace is a mechanical engineer at the University of Bahrain and Director of the Human Rights Bureau of the Has Movement for Civil Liberties and Democracy. He was arrested by the authorities on August 13 at the Bahrain International Airport as he returned from London with his family.

While in the UK, all-Sing ace attended a seminar on Bahrain in the House of Lords, where he criticized Bahrain's human rights practices. He was accused of "inciting violence and acts of terror".

According to international sections, his lawyer reported that AL-Sing ace exposed to severe abuse, including sleep and physical violence, and medical treatment was denied.

Ukraine: Management meddling in preacher election

Election of a new rector at Donetsk National University in Ukraine has led to allegations of government interference and violence of university staff, according to reports received from the Kharkov Human Rights Protection Group. During the election on December 10, is university staff allegedly told they could vote for their preferred candidate, but that the "last word was with the Ministry."

Acting Rector Petr Yahoo, the favorite candidate of the Ministry, 29.6% of the vote, a vote of the 30% required by law for the Ministry to impose its preferred candidate. The second candidate Yuri Lysenko, 48% of the votes and was nominated for the Ministry for approval by university staff.

There has since attempts numerous allegations of government to influence the outcome of the election, or penalize Lysenko for opposing a government supported candidate. The Ministry of Interior has since announced that there will be a criminal investigation into the expropriation of funds from Donetsk University by university staff, specifically Tatiana Lev, the wife of the candidate Yuri Lysenko and Pro Rector of the university.

Following the election, Lev dismissed from her post, but the court since her recovery. On 17 December, Tatiana Lev attacked near her home by two men who punched her several times on the head before knocking her to the ground and beat her. The two men her "it was your husband" before fleeing. She concussion and contusions.

Employees at the university said that they believe that the opening of the criminal case directly related to the election of the rector to be. The appointment of Lysenko was further stalled by a court case brought by a police colonel teaching at the National University of Internal Affairs, which claims to put his candidacy forward and ignored.