We've teamed up with Scholars at Risk, a global network advocating for academic freedom and supporting threatened scholars, to bring you a special episode of their Free to Think podcast, featuring Iranian cosmologist Encieh Erfani. As the first in her family to attend university, Dr. Erfani was drawn to the stars. Her interest led her to study the origin of the universe. But when the "Women, Life, Freedom" protests began in 2022, her career took a dramatic turn. In solidarity with the protesters, she resigned from her academic position in Iran — a decision with serious consequences. Due to her public stance, she was unable to return to her home country after a research stay abroad and has lived in exile ever since. Even in exile, Dr. Erfani continues to tirelessly advocate for the rights of displaced scholars.

In this conversation with founding Executive Director of Scholars at Risk, Rob Quinn, she speaks about the price of academic freedom, the situation in Iran and her commitment to supporting Iranian academics around the world. You can find the full episode here: https://www.scholarsatrisk.org/podcast/

In 2016, Eylem Camuroglu Cig took a stand by signing the “Peace Petition” which called for an end to violence in southeastern Turkey. President Erdoğan condemned the signatories as “terrorists”, leading to Camuroglu Cig loosing her job at the university. After the attempted coup in the summer of 2016, the political pressure intensified further. To escape persecution, Eylem Camuroglu Cig fled to Germany at the beginning of 2017. The Turkish government revoked her passport and numerous basic rights, and it is currently impossible for her to return. Nevertheless, Eylem Camuroglu Cig remains committed to academic freedom and critical thinking.

In this interview, conducted by Frank Albrecht, Eylem Camuroglu Cig shares her insights on the political situation in Turkey, on academics for peace and her life in exile.

The project is being carried out by the science communication agency con gressa in cooperation with the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation and funded by the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research as part of the “Science Year 2024 – Freedom”.

Additional resources and information on academic freedom:

Azadeh Ganjeh advocated for more academic freedom and the rights of her students as a professor in Tehran - despite growing political pressure. Her support for student activism and her critical stance against oppression came at a high price: the loss of her income, ongoing threats, and severe restrictions on her academic work.. In 2022, she left her home country and came to Germany to continue her research and advocacy. Today, she works at the University of Hildesheim and HKS Ottersberg and remains passionately committed to academic freedom and diversity of opinion.

In this interview, conducted by Mareike Ilsemann, Azadeh Ganjeh talks about the power of performance art, universities as a space of discourse and activism and her life in exile.

The project is being carried out by the science communication agency con gressa in cooperation with the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation and funded by the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research as part of the “Science Year 2024 – Freedom”.

Additional resources and information on academic freedom:

The Taliban in Afghanistan are denying girls and women access to education and science. After the Taliban took power in August 2021, the security situation for female researchers deteriorated dramatically. Dr Suhailah Akbari, a legal scholar, was also directly threatened and had to leave the country with her two daughters. After enduring days of uncertainty and fear at Kabul airport, she managed to escape to Germany with the assistance of the German Bundeswehr, ultimately finding refuge there.

In this interview, conducted by Frank Albrecht, Suhailah Akbari shares her insights on the state of women’s rights in Afghanistan, her journey to Germany, and her experiences as a researcher living in exile.

The project is being carried out by the science communication agency con gressa in cooperation with the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation and funded by the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research as part of the “Science Year 2024 – Freedom”.

Additional resources and information on academic freedom:

Seit Jahren wird die Wissenschaftsfreiheit in Russland durch Wladimir Putins Regime eingeschränkt. Mit Beginn des Krieges in der Ukraine verschärfte sich die Lage gerade für Forschende, die nicht mit dem Krieg einverstanden sind. Angesichts der Repressionen in seiner Heimat konnte der Rechtswissenschaftler Sergei Mikhailov* nach einem Forschungsaufenthalt in Deutschland nicht nach Russland zurückkehren.

Im Podcast „Fragile Freedom“ spricht er über das Leben im Exil, den Abbruch wissenschaftlicher Beziehungen und die subtilen Drohungen des russischen Regimes.

*Zum Schutz seiner Identität wurde der Name des Wissenschaftlers geändert und seine Stimme mithilfe künstlicher Intelligenz verfremdet.

Weitere Informationen zum Projekt: https://fragile-freiheit.de/

When activists in Belarus faced increasing repression in 2020 and a citizens‘ initiative he was involved in had to be shut down, sociologist Dr. Vasil Navumau had to leave the country to avoid imprisonment. With the support of the Philipp Schwatz Initiative, he came to Ruhr University Bochum in 2021. In this interview, conducted by Mareike Ilsemann, he talks about the 2020 protests, his journey to Germany and life as a scientist in exile.

Further information on “Fragile Freedom”: https://fragile-freiheit.de/en/

The project is being carried out by the science communication agency con gressa in cooperation with the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation and funded by the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research as part of the “Science Year 2024 – Freedom”.

Additional resources and information on academic freedom:

Scholars at Risk, Free to Think 2023 – Report of the Scholars at Risk Academic Freedom Monitoring Project : https://www.scholarsatrisk.org/resources/free-to-think-2023/