China intimidated UK university to ditch human rights research, documents show
Summary
Documents show that China pressured a UK university, Sheffield Hallam, to stop human rights research related to forced labor in Xinjiang. This was done by blocking the university's access to Chinese students and threatening its staff. Professor Laura Murphy's work on Uyghur rights was halted, leading her to take legal action against the university for not defending her academic freedom.Key Facts
- China pressured Sheffield Hallam University to stop human rights research.
- Threats came from individuals the university staff identified as China's National Security Service.
- Access to the university's websites from China was blocked.
- The university faced pressure for over two years and decided to halt the publication of research.
- The research focused on alleged forced labor involving Uyghur Muslims in Xinjiang, China.
- Professor Laura Murphy initiated legal action against the university for not protecting her academic freedom.
- Sheffield Hallam University later apologized to Prof. Murphy and allowed her to continue her research.
- The UK government warned China that it won't tolerate attempts to suppress academic freedoms.
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