• Updates

MESA Board Joint Statement with CAF updating and responding to campus repression

The Board of Directors of the Middle East Studies Association and its Committee on Academic Freedom decry in the strongest of terms the growing number of cases of colleges and universities calling on police to repress campus protests against the ongoing genocide in Gaza. We also deplore actions and statements from officials that seek to delegitimize student and faculty activists and their criticism of the war.

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House Committee on Education and Labor expresses concern and requests information from the DoE regarding Duke-UNC Consortium investigation

House Committee on Education and Labor requests documents and further information from the Department of Education and expresses deep concern over the implications for academic freedom of its public threats to the Duke-UNC Consortium for Middle East Studies over its Title VI funding as a National Resource Center for area studies.

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Turkish Court rules in favor of academics’ rights who signed Peace Petition

In a narrow vote (8-8 with the Chief Justice casting a tie breaking vote) the Turkish Constitutional Court found that the rights of the Peace Petitioners had been violated. The decision should have precedential effect that will impact all the trials of petition signatories, bringing great relief to hundreds of Turkish academics. MESA’s joint letter of 24 July 2019 to the Constitutional Court of Turkey expressed support of the signatories’ rights to freedom of expression and assembly. MESA’s Committee on Academic Freedom has written numerous letters regarding the persecution of the Peace Petition signatories.

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