Middle East Scholars Vote to Endorse BDS

    The membership of MESA has voted in favor of a resolution endorsing the Palestinian call for boycotts, divestment, and sanctions of Israel as a way to hold the government accountable for ongoing human rights violations. MESA’s Board of Directors will implement it in a manner consistent with MESA’s bylaws as well as relevant U.S. federal, state, and local laws. The resolution states that the boycott will not target individual students or scholars, and reiterates the right of individual MESA members to choose whether or not they wish to participate in an academic boycott of Israeli institutions.

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    Letter regarding the continued detention of translators, Kholoud Said and Marwa Arafa

    Letter to Egyptian authorities expressing concern about the continued detention of Kholoud Said, a translator and the head of the Translation Unit of the publication department at Bibliotheca Alexandrina (BA), and free-lance translator Marwa Arafa, and calling for their immediate release.

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    Letter protesting latest attacks on Palestinian universities and civil society organizations

    Letter to the Israeli government protesting the ongoing and intensified attacks on Palestinian universities and civil society organizations. We highlight, in particular, the pre-dawn invasion of Birzeit University by Israeli soldiers on 14 December 2021 and the designation, on 22 October, of six Palestinian civil society organizations as "terrorist."

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    Letter regarding the continuing attacks on Boğaziçi University’s students and faculty under the leadership of the new rector, Mehmet Naci İnci

    Letter to President Erdoğan regarding the continuing attacks against the Boğaziçi University’s students and faculty, including police raids, securitization and militarization of the university campus, dismissals of professors through arbitrary rectoral decisions, and criminalization of peaceful academic protest.

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    Letter regarding the termination and deportation of Yemeni scholars in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia

    Letter to Saudi authorities expressing concern about the reported dismissals of Yemeni scholars, physicians and other professionals from their positions at universities in the southern provinces of al-Baha, Asir, Jazan and Najran.

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    Letter to Iranian authorities calling for immediate release of imprisoned conservationist, Niloufar Bayani

    Letter to Iranian authorities calling for the immediate release of conservationist, Niloufar Bayani, who is serving a 10-year sentence on dubious charges and is experiencing declining health. Bayani has contracted the Covid-19 virus in prison and has been sent to a quarantine isolation ward with inadequate medical support.

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    Continuing detention of Ahmed Mansoor and Nasser bin Ghaith

    Letter to UAE authorities expressing concern about the deteriorating health of Ahmed Mansoor, the internationally acclaimed human rights activist and drawing attention to the continuing imprisonment of Nasser bin Ghaith as well as to the Pegasus Project allegations over the use of spyware against academics and others.

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    Letter regarding the termination of the contracts of two professors at Boğaziçi University by Acting-Rector Mehmet Naci İnci

    Letter to President Erdoğan regarding the termination of the contracts of two professors at Boğaziçi University by Acting-Rector Mehmet Naci İnci, who is continuing the politically motivated campaign against Boğaziçi University’s autonomous university governance launched by his predecessor, the controversially appointed Rector, Melih Bulu.

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    Letter Protesting Israeli Army Arrest of 45 Palestinian University Students, and Ongoing Detention of 15 after a Solidarity Visit to a Demolished Home in Turmus ‘Aya

    Please see our letter to Israeli officials protesting the Israeli army arrest of 45 Palestinian university students, and ongoing detention of 15 after a solidarity visit to a demolished home in Turmus 'Aya.

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