Truth Under Threat: A Scholar at Risk Reflects. By Parwiz Mosamim

Truth Under Threat: A Scholar at Risk Reflects
Parwiz Mosamim

Let me begin with a simple reflection: you do not fully realize and appreciate the value of academic freedom until you lose it.

As a scholar at risk from Afghanistan, a former journalist, and someone who experienced a brief period of academic freedom and free speech in my own country, I have learned how quickly these freedoms can disappear. Under the Taliban regime today, academic freedom and freedom of expression have become nearly impossible to practice in Afghanistan. Universities are tightly controlled, critical thinking is suppressed, and women are largely excluded from education, employment, and public life.

These challenges are not limited to one national context. Recent developments across the world, from Ukraine and Russia to Gaza and even debates within Western democratic societies, remind us that academic freedom cannot be taken for granted. It is a fragile value that requires constant vigilance and protection.

Since Afghanistan fell to the Taliban in August 2021, many Afghan scholars, including myself, have experienced both the loss of academic freedom and the solidarity that can emerge within the global academic community. Programs such as Scholars at Risk demonstrate the important role universities can play in protecting scholars who face threats, displacement, or repression in their home countries. By offering temporary research or teaching positions, safe spaces for intellectual work, and opportunities to continue academic careers, these programs provide essential lifelines.

Yet supporting scholars at risk should extend beyond temporary fellowships. Important questions remain: What happens when the funding period ends? How do institutions assess the risks scholars may face if they return to their home countries? Does institutional responsibility end when the fellowship concludes?

Meaningful support requires more than formal programs or symbolic gestures. It demands sustained commitment and thoughtful engagement. Universities must create academic environments where scholars at risk feel welcomed, heard, and supported. Sometimes, meaningful support can be simple: acknowledging their experiences, inviting them into academic conversations, or helping them build professional networks and future opportunities.

It is equally important to recognize that scholars at risk are not only recipients of support but also contributors to their host institutions. Many have resisted authoritarian regimes, defended intellectual freedom, and paid high personal costs for doing so. They bring valuable expertise, resilience, and perspectives shaped by lived experiences of repression and resistance. Their presence enriches universities by strengthening intellectual diversity, encouraging interdisciplinary dialogue, and reminding academic communities why academic freedom matters.

At the same time, scholars at risk carry responsibilities of their own. They must respect the cultures, values, and principles of their host institutions and societies. Mutual respect and collaboration are essential for building inclusive and supportive academic environments.

Ultimately, protecting academic freedom begins with a question each of us must confront: What does academic freedom mean to me? And perhaps more importantly: How can I protect it from where I stand today?

Academic freedom is threatened not only by authoritarian regimes but also by indifference, silence, or the gradual normalization of restrictions on knowledge and speech. Silence and neutrality are rarely neutral choices. As members of the scholarly and academic community, we have professional and ethical responsibilities to uphold the principles that support research, teaching, and open inquiry.

One of the most effective ways universities can protect academic freedom is by teaching its importance to future generations of scholars and students. Many students in (Western) democratic societies may have little experience with a world without academic freedom. Yet for millions of people worldwide, the ability to ask critical questions, conduct independent research, or openly discuss political issues is far from guaranteed.

Teaching students about these realities helps them understand that academic freedom is not merely an abstract principle. It is a fundamental condition that shapes how knowledge is produced, shared, and challenged.

For scholars who have lost these freedoms, programs such as Scholars at Risk offer more than institutional support—they offer hope. They demonstrate that universities can act collectively to defend truth, protect intellectual courage, and stand in solidarity with those facing repression.

The 25th-anniversary theme of the international Scholars at Risk (SAR) Network and the 10th anniversary of its Swiss section, “Truth Matters,” is therefore especially meaningful. In a world where truth is often contested, manipulated, or suppressed, defending academic freedom becomes essential to safeguarding the pursuit of knowledge itself.

My own journey as a scholar at risk has revealed both the vulnerability and the resilience of academic freedom. Although much work remains to ensure these freedoms are protected everywhere, I remain hopeful that the global academic community will continue to defend them.

Academic freedom is never guaranteed. It must be protected, practiced, and passed on to future generations.

And for those of us who have lost it once, its value becomes clearer than ever.

Parwiz Mosamim is a PhD researcher at the Institute of Communication and Public Policy, USI.

*********************************

This essay is part of a series of contributions on academic freedom, explored from different perspectives and fields of study and research, highlighting its interdisciplinary nature. We welcome contributions and reflections from the entire USI academic community. Detailed information about the initiative is available here.