Articles for tag: Academic Freedom, Israel-Gaza-Krieg, IStGH, Meinungsfreiheit, Redefreiheit

Criminalizing Knowledge

When does sharing information become an act of disloyalty to the state? Three bills advancing through Israel’s Knesset aim to answer this question decisively: any cooperation with international justice mechanisms, particularly the International Criminal Court (ICC), would constitute a betrayal of the state punishable by up to life imprisonment. This legislative package marks a dramatic shift from merely opposing international criminal jurisdiction to criminalizing the very act of documentation and information-sharing about potential human rights violations. For Israeli scholars researching international humanitarian law, the message is clear: our academic work could become a criminal offense if it finds its way to international courts.

21. Februar 2025

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Where Is Our Outcry?

Two universities – the LMU Munich and the Freie University Berlin – cancelled events featuring Francesca Albanese, the UN Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in the Palestinian Territory occupied since 1967. Isn’t this the moment when we should finally speak up, even if we have not done so before for fear of taking a wrong step in the minefield that is the Israel/Palestine debate? Francesca Albanese is our colleague. The holder of a mandate by the Human Rights Council. A globally well-respected scholar of international law who speaks at universities around the world.

19. Februar 2025

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How the Destroyers of Academic Freedom Masquerade Themselves as Its Victims

Under the authoritarian leadership of Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán, the government has started a culture war to dismantle the independence of academic institutions, including universities and the Hungarian Academy of Sciences, arguing that they represent a threat to their proudly proclaimed illiberal ideology. Ironically, after dismantling academic freedom in the country, Orbán’s administration started to claim that actually the liberals are the ones who, through "cancel culture", threaten academic freedom.

15. Januar 2025

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Ein „Hochschulsicherheitsrecht“ verstößt gegen die verfassungsrechtliche Gewährleistung wissenschaftlicher Forschung und Lehre

Verfassungsrechtlerinnen und Verfassungsrechtler aus allen juristischen Fakultäten des Landes NRW haben sich zu der folgenden Stellungnahme zusammengeschlossen. Sie trägt die Unterschrift einer deutlichen Mehrzahl aller aktiven Hochschullehrer des Verfassungsrechts, mehrere Rechtsfakultäten sind mit ihrem Öffentlichen Recht vollständig vertreten.

18. Dezember 2024

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Resolution auf Kosten der Grundrechte

Am 7. November 2024 hat der Bundestag die fraktionsübergreifende Antisemitismus-Resolution angenommen. Sie fordert u.a. sicherzustellen, dass Projekte in Wissenschaft, Kunst und Kultur, die als antisemitisch anzusehen sind, keine staatlichen Förderungen erhalten. Doch um die Frage, wo legitime Palästinasolidarität und Israelkritik aufhört und wo Antisemitismus anfängt, wird gesellschaftlich und politisch gerungen. Obwohl die Resolution rechtlich unverbindlich ist, können von ihr mittelbar-faktische Grundrechtseingriffe in die Meinungs-, Kunst- und Wissenschaftsfreiheit ausgehen. Das zeigen Verwaltungsentscheidungen aus vergleichbaren Kontexten.

13. November 2024

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Ten Commandments to Stifle Academic Freedom

Since 2010, the beginning of the populist takeover and the authoritarian transition, Hungary has gathered a lot of experience on how to dismantle academic freedom. This knowledge can be useful for other autocrats as well. But even if we don’t want to give them tips on how to repeat what happened and is happening in this country, it might still be worth reconstructing how it all took place. This can be especially useful for calculating what to expect from autocrats and preparing how to defend against them.

2. Mai 2024

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A Way Forward?

While included in the EU Charter of Fundamental Rights (CFR), academic and scientific freedom were for years hardly a focus for the EU. This no longer holds true. On 29 November 2023, the European Parliament invited stakeholders to discuss the state of academic freedom in Europe (STOA conference), including the role of the EU in its legal protection. The conference intertwines with two important developments, both driven by the EP. First, on 22 November 2023, the EP adopted its proposals for the amendment of the Treaties, with some relevant for academic freedom protection. Earlier this month, on 17 January 2024, the EP approved the Report calling on the Commission to initiate a legislative proposal on the promotion of the freedom of scientific research in the EU and providing recommendations on its content. In this blog post, we briefly discuss these two EP calls aimed at enhanced protection of academic and scientific freedom to assess to what extent they address the concerns raised by various stakeholders.

29. Januar 2024

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Die Implementation der IHRA-Arbeitsdefinition Antisemitismus ins deutsche Recht – eine rechtliche Beurteilung

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Diese Beurteilung wurde am 5. Dezember 2023 an die Fraktionsvorsitzenden, an die Mitglieder der Ausschüsse Inneres und Recht sowie an die Ausschussbüros der anderen beteiligten Ausschüsse des Bundestags versandt. Nachdem in der Presse über dieses Papier berichtet wurde, haben wir uns entschieden, sie zu veröffentlichen.

18. Dezember 2023

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