"I was secretary-general of Zimbabwe's student union, ZINASU, from 2013 to 2015. I was arrested, subjected to brutal police actions and experienced several violations of my own rights," says Tererai Obey Sithole.
Around the world, students and scholars face threats as a result of their political engagement for democracy and human rights.
UiA has been a member and engaged in the Norwegian Scholars at Risk network (SAR) since 2011. SAR protects threatened scholars, and documents and highlights attacks on higher education. UiA offers annual stays for 2-3 scholars through the network.
"Shows the important role of international collaboration"
The new report ‘Free to Think 2024’ will be formally launched in Norway on Campus Kristiansand on 18 November. The report documents that attacks on academics and students have escalated in the past year - particularly as a result of the situation in Gaza, Russia and Iran.
"The report shows the important role of international collaboration with higher education and research institutions beyond Europe to address threats to academic freedom globally. Unfortunately, the Norwegian government is moving in the opposite direction with cuts in several schemes that were essential for this kind of collaboration," says Associate Professor at UiA, Arnhild Leer-Helgesen.
She is a member of the Scholars at Risk group at UiA and the head of the Norwegian Association for Development Research (NFU).
Arrested as a student activist
The political situation and his engagement as a student leader made it difficult for Sithole to stay in Zimbabwe. That's when Students at Risk (StAR) came to his rescue, a Norwegian programme established in 2013 - inspired by SAR.
Through this programme, student activists who are persecuted and threatened for various reasons in their homelands get the opportunity to complete their education in Norway.
In 2016, he came to Norway and UiA, where he completed his master’s degree in Global Development and Planning.
Sithole was now in a safe place and could focus on his studies. He also built a network with other StAR students in Norway.
Facts: Attacks on academic freedom and student activism globally
- Scholars at Risk, an international organization consisting of 650+ educational institutions in 45 countries, work together to promote and protect academic freedom and other key values in higher education
- The new report Free to Think 2024 documents various forms of violence, imprisonment, job bans and threats against scholars and students who express political or socially critical views.
- The report documents 391 attacks on scholars, students, and institutions in 51 countries and territories, from July 1, 2023, to June 30, 2024.
- Scholars, students and univerisities in Gaza, Iran, and Russia have been particularly vulnerable in the past year.
- Elected officials in certain democratic countries, including the US, Germany, and the United Kingdom, have introduced laws that undermine institutional autonomy and scholars’ and students’ academic freedom and right to voice dissent.
Arrested again - four times
After completing his master’s degree, Sithole returned to Zimbabwe in 2019.
"I wanted to continue working for human rights and change in Zimbabwe and was elected leader of the MDC Alliance youth party."
But the political situation in the country had not improved. Sithole was arrested four times over the next few years, for participating in protests and meetings. During one demonstration, they demanded that the president step down.
"The prisons in Zimbabwe are terrible. There was never a trial, and I was never convicted. They use psychological force and try to keep us down and make us stop protesting. That is how they retain power." he says.
Concerned about developments - also in Norway
In 2021, a new opportunity arose to move back to Norway. Although Sithole wanted to stay in Zimbabwe and fight for his country, the situation only got worse.
Today he is a PhD research fellow at the Department of Global Development and Planning at UiA.
"It was a unique opportunity. I’m very grateful to everyone here in Norway and at UiA who has helped me," says Sithole.
Sithole is now active in the Scholars at Risk network and is concerned about developments internationally - and in Norway.
"Internationalisation is being deprioritised in Norway. The introduction of tuition fees for students from outside the EU/EEA or Switzerland is exclusionary and creates less diversity in university classrooms," he believes.