We condemn the wave of repression which has swept Egypt in response to peaceful protests criticising current president Abdel Fattah al-Sisi. Human rights activists say that more than 3000 people have been arrested since 20 September, including Professors Hazem Hosny and Hassan Nafaa of Cairo University, lawyers Mahienour el-Massry, Mohamed Salah Agag and other colleagues, Alaa Abdelfattah and many political figures, activists, journalists and human rights campaigners. We are alarmed that Boris Johnson believes that the UK can make “positive progress in our bilateral relationship” with the Egyptian regime in such circumstances.
We are also deeply concerned that once again, UK universities are showing their willingness to put potential revenue from student fees before commitment to human rights and academic freedoms, by pursuing partnerships with private educational firms running “branch campuses” or offering UK degrees in Egypt. University of Hertfordshire, Coventry University and University of London have all been reported as opening, or planning to open for business in Egypt’s New Administrative Capital. This is particularly worrying following the kidnapping, torture and murder of Cambridge University PhD student, Giulio Regeni in January 2016. Italian prosecutors named Egyptian state security agents as suspects in this case in November 2018.
We call on UK universities operating in or planning to open for business in Egypt to suspend these projects until the human rights situation improves enough to ensure that academic freedoms are protected and to join us in a public statement calling on the regime to release political prisoners, respect human rights and protect freedom of expression.
Scroll down for a complete list of launch signatories. This letter will be sent to the universities named above with copies to the Egyptian embassy in London and Universities UK.
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Please note names will not appear automatically. The names below are a subset of signatures that have already been collected.
Dr | Geoff | Abbott | Natural and Environmental Sciences | Newcastle University | UK |
Joel W. | Abdelmoez | Centre for Gender Studies | University of Cambridge | ||
Professor | Eihab | Abdel-Rahman | Engineering | Univesrity of Waterloo | Canada |
Dr. | Giuseppe | Acconcia | Politics and International Relations | Padova University | Italy |
Professor | Gilbert | Achcar | Development Studies | SOAS, University of London | UK |
Mr | Ross | Adamson | Humanities | University of Brighton | United Kingdom |
Professor of the History of Africa and the African Diaspora | Hakim | Adi | University of Chichester | United Kingdom | |
Dr. | Mahvish | Ahmad | Centre for Humanities Research | University of the Western Cape | South Africa |
Dr. | Kuat | Akizhanov | Department of Social and Policy Sciences | University of Bath | UK |
Professor | Nadje | Al-Ali | Anthropology Department &Watson Institute for Public and International 𝐀𝐟𝐟𝐚𝐢𝐫s | Brown University | USA |
Abdullah | Alaoudh | School of Foreign Services | Georegtown University | USA | |
Dr | Anne | Alexander | Centre for Research in the Arts, Social Sciences and Humanities | University of Cambridge | |
Mr | Nart | Alhweitti | Faculty of Medicine | Marmara University | |
Dr | Lori | Allen | Reader in Anthropology | SOAS | UK |
Dr. | Jamie | Allinson | Politics and International Relations | University of Edinburgh | |
Dr | Alaa | Alshehabi | University College London | UK | |
Dr | Edward | Anderson | POLIS | University of Cambridge | UK |
Dr | Miriyam | Aouragh | Reader in Media Art and Communication | University of Westminster | |
Dr | Troy | Astarte | School of Computing | Newcastle University | United Kingdom |
Dr | David | Baines | School of Arts and Cultures | Newcastle University | UK |
Mr | David | Baker | UK | ||
Dr | Maciej | Bancarzewski | Business School | University of Hertfordshire | United Kingdom |
Dr | Hannes | Baumann | Politics | University of Liverpool | UK |
Donald J. McLachlan Professor of History | Joel | Beinin | History | Stanford University | United States |
Mr | Stuart | Bennett | PoLIS | University of Bath | |
Dr | Matthew | Benwell | GPS | Newcastle University | United Kingdom |
Dr | Luke | Bhatia | Lecturer in International Politics | The University of Manchester | UK |
Dr | Francesca | Biancani | Dept of Political and Social Sciences | Bologna University | Italy |
Dr | Irina | Biktasheva | Computer Science | University of Liverpool | UK |
Dr. | Susan | Blackwell | Language, Literature and Communication | Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam | Netherlands |
Dr | Steffan | Blayney | Department of History | University of Sheffield | United Kingdom |
Jann | Boeddeling | Department of Government | LSE, University of London | ||
Dr | Kambiz | Boomla | Blizard Institute | Queen Mary University of London | UK |
Professor | Bill | Bowring | FAcSS, Barrister, Director of the Director of the LLM/MA in Human Rights | Birkbeck College, University of London | |
Emeritus Reader in International History | Robert | Boyce | London School of Economics and Political Science | UK | |
Professor | Craig | Brandist | Arts and Humanities | University of Sheffield | UK |
Prof. | Bob | Brecher | School of Humanities | University of Brighton | UK |
Professor | Haim | Bresheeth | School of Interdisciplinary Studies | SOAS | UK |
Kriti | Budhiraja | Sociology | University of Minnesota | India | |
Dr | Peta | Bulmer | Archaeology, Classics and Egyptology | University of Liverpool | |
Dr | Francesca | Burke | School of Applied Social Science | University of Brighton | UK |
Dr | Guy | Burton | Vesalius College | Belgium | |
Professor of African Studies and Development Politics | Ray | Bush | School of Politics and International Studies | University of Leeds | UK |
Em. Prof | Pat | Caplan | Anthropology | Goldsmiths | United Kingdom |
Senior Lecturer | Russell | Caplan | School of Health and Social Care | London South Bank University | United Kingdom |
Dr | Estella | Carpi | Geography | University College London | United Kingdom |
Dr | Harriet | Carroll | Rowett Institute | University of Aberdeen | UK |
Mr | Pau | Cata | Edinburgh College of Art | Edinburgh University | |
Professor | John | Chalcraft | Professor of Middle East Politics | LSE, University of London | UK |
Mr | Duncan | Chambers | ScHARR | University of Sheffield | UK |
Doctoral researcher | Ioana Cerasella | Chis | POLSIS | University of Birmingham | UK |
Dr | Andrew | Chitty | Department of Philosophy | University of Sussex | UK |
Dr | Tanzil | Chowdhury | Lecturer in Public Law and Human Rights | Queen Mary University of London | UK |
Professor | Linda | Clarke | Westminster Business School | University of Westminster | GB |
Prof. | Elliott | Colla | Arabic and Islamic Studies | Georgetown University | USA |
Associate Professor in Human Rights | Ayça | Çubukçu | LSE Human Rights and Department of Sociology | London School of Economics and Political Science | UNited |
Ms | Katie | Cuddon | School of Arts and Cultures | Newcastle University | UK |
Dr | Steve | Cushion | University and College Union | Branch Secretary, London Retired Members | UK |
Mr | Ala-ul-Iman | Dabbous | Paris School of International Affairs | Sciences Po | France |
Erum | Dahar | ||||
Dr | Adrija | Dey | Development Studies | SOAS | United Kingdom |
Prof. | James | Dickins | Dept. of Arabic, Islamic and Middle Eastern Studies | University of Leeds | United Kingdom |
Dr | Andrea | Dolfini | School of History, Classics and Archaeology | Newcastle University | UK |
Dr | Hannah | Durkin | School of English Literature, Language and Linguistics | Newcastle University | United Kingdom |
Dr | Peter | Dwyer | School for Cross-faculty Studies | University of Warwick | United Kingdom |
Dr | James | Eastwood | Politics and International Relations | Queen Mary University of London | UK |
Dr | Nadia | Edmond | School of Education | University of Brighton | UK |
ElSayed | Mahmoud | Sociology and Social Anthropology | Central European University, Budapest | Hungry | |
Dr | Khadijah | Elshayyal | University of Edinburgh | ||
Dr | Sai | Englert | Institute for Area Studies | Leiden University | Netherlands |
Dr | Karen | Evans | School of Law and Social Policy | University of Liverpool | UK |
Professor | Khaled | Fahmy | Professor of Modern Arabic Studies | University of Cambridge | |
Dr | Ausaf | Farooqui | Psychology | Bilkent University | Turkey |
Mr | Samuel | Farr | Department of Chemical Engineering | University of Bath | UK |
Mr | Andrew | Feinstein | UK | ||
Dr | Lorenzo | Feltrin | Sociology | University of Warwick | |
Dr | Juan Pablo | Ferrero | Politics, Language and International Studies | University of Bath | United Kingdom |
Alice | Finden | Centre for Gender Studies | SOAS, University of London | UK | |
Edward | Fox | arts & social sciences | open university | UK | |
Professor | Des | Freedman | Professor of Media and Communications Studies | Goldsmiths, University of London | |
Ms | Océanne | Fry | Bard College Berlin | France | |
Prof | Christian | Fuchs | University of Westminster | UK | |
PhD Researcher | James | Godfrey | Law | Birkbeck, University of London | |
Professor | Neve | Gordon | Professor of Human Rights | Queen Mary, University of London | |
Professor | Rebecca Ruth | Gould | College of Arts & Law | University of Birmingham | UK |
Ms | Frances | Grahl | CCLPS | SOAS | UK |
Professor | Penny | Green | Law | Queen Mary University of London | UK |
Jannis | Grimm | Freie Universität Berlin | Germany | ||
Dr | Adam | Hanieh | Reader in Development Studies | SOAS, University of London | UK |
Dr | Christopher | Harker | Institute for Global Prosperity | University College London | United Kingdom |
Dr | Jason | Hart | SPS | University of Bath | UK |
Mr. | Joe | Hayns | SAME (Anthropology) | University of Oxford | UK |
Ms | Elane | Heffernan | UCU National Executive, Disabled Members Committee | UK | |
Tom | Hickey | Humanities | University of Brighton | UK | |
Mr | Roger | Higginson | History | University of Sussex | United Kingdom |
Ms | Margot | Hill | Creative Arts | Croydon College | UK |
Dr | Christian | Hogsbjerg | School of Humanities | University of Brighton | United Kingdom |
Prof | Anders | Holmberg | School of English Literature, Language, and Linguistics | Newcastle University | UK |
Dr. | Najib | Hourani | Department of Anthropology | Michigan State University | USA |
Dr | Elizabeth | Hull | Anthropology and Sociology | SOAS University of London | UK |
Dr | Sarah | Irving | Leiden University | UK | |
Dr | Feyzi | Ismail | Development Studies | SOAS, University of London | United Kingdom |
Professor | Salwa | Ismail | Professor of Politics of the Middle East | SOAS, University of London | |
Dr | Peyman | Jafari | Princeton University | USA | |
Dr | Nick | Jakubovics | Dental Sciences | Newcastle University | UK |
Professor | Leigh | Jenco | Professor of Political Theory | LSE, University of London | |
Dr | Gary | Jenkins | School of Modern Languages | Newcastle University | UK |
Dr | A C | Jimenez Moreno | United Kingdom | ||
Dr | Craig | Jones | Geography | Newcastle University | UK |
Dr | Mordechai | Katzman | Mathematics | University of Sheffield | United Kingdom |
MR | Mebratu | Kelecha | Politics | University of Westminster | United Kingdom |
Professor | Laleh | Khalili | Professor of International Politics | Queen Mary, University of London | |
Ms | Shehla | Khan | Humanities and Social Sciences | Keele University | United Kingdom |
Snigdha | Kumar | PhD student, Sociology | University of Minnesota | India and USA | |
Dr | Andrew | Law | School of Architecture, planning and landscape | Newcastle University | United Kingdom |
Zoe | Lawlor | AHSS | University of Limerick | Ireland | |
Research Associate | Hugo | Leal | CRASSH | University of Cambridge | |
Professor | Mark | LeVine | History | UC Irvine | United States |
Dr | Andrew | Lindridge | Newcastle University Business School | Newcastle University | UK |
Prof (emerita) | Judi | Loach | History | Cardiff University | Wales (but now in France) |
Professor | Zachary | Lockman | Middle Eastern and Islamic Studies | New York University | USA |
Dr | Zeina | Maasri | School of Humanities | University of Brighton | UK |
Meriam | Mabrouk | Birkbeck College, University of London | United Kingdom | ||
Dr | Thomas | MacManus | Queen Mary University of London | ||
Dr | Sara | Maioli | Economics | Newcastle University | United Kingdom |
Dr. | Laura | Mann | Assistant Professor of International Development, | London School of Economics | |
Academic Researcher | Samar | Maqusi | University of London | UK | |
Dr | Jorge | Marco | Politics, Languages and International Studies | University of Bath | United Kingdom |
Dr | Vivienne | Matthies-Boon | Political Science | University of Amsterdam | The Netherlands |
Dr | Ian | McDonald | Film@CultureLab | Newcastle University | UK |
Jack | McGinn | Middle East Centre | London School of Economics | United Kingdom | |
Jo | McNeill | Chair, University of Liverpool UCU | University of Liverpool | ||
Dr | Richard | McNeil-Willson | Robert Schuman Centre for Advanced Studies | European University Institute | Italy |
J | Miller | Politics and International Studies (POLIS) | University of Cambridge | UK | |
Dr | Aurelien | Mondon | PoLIS | University of Bath | UK |
Dr | Stephen | Moonie | Fine Art | Newcastle University | United Kingdom |
Dr | Dalia | Mostafa | University of Manchester | UK | |
Prof. | Clement | Mouhot | Mathematics | University of Cambridge | United Kingdom |
dr | suneela | mubayi | arabic literature, asian and middle eastern studies | univ. of cambridge | UK |
Dr | Eva | Nanopoulos | Law | Queen Mary, University of London | UK |
Dr | Yael | Navaro | Department of Social Anthropology | University of Cambridge | UK |
Mr | Sandy | Nicoĺl | I&T Directorate | SOAS University of London | UK |
Dr | Jacob | Norris | Department of History | University of Sussex | UK |
Dr. | Paul | O’Connell | School of Law | SOAS University of London | United Kingdom |
Dr | Mark | O’Brien | University of Liverpool | UK | |
Dr | Victoria | Pagan | Business School | Newcastle University | |
Dr. | David | Palumbo-Liu | Louise Hewlett Nixon Professor | Stanford University | US |
Ms | Elke | Pawlowski | |||
Dr | Nicola | Perugini | Politics and International Relations | University of Edinburgh | United Kingdom |
Professor | Deborah | Philips | Humanities | University of Brighton | UK |
Miray | Philips | Sociology | University of Minnesota | United States | |
Dr | Sharri | Plonski | School of Politics and International Relations | Queen Mary University of London | United Kingdom |
Professor | Megan | Povey | School of Food Science and Nutrition | University of Leeds | United Kingdom |
Dr | Nicola | Pratt | Politics and International Studies | University of Warwick | UK |
Sebastian | Prost | Open Lab | Newcastle University | UK | |
Dr. | Walaa | Quisay | Philosophy, Theology, and Religion | University of Birmingham | UK |
Dr | Asim | Qureshi | CAGE | UK | |
Sana | R | ||||
Ms | Sanaz | Raji | Independent Scholar | UK | |
Dr | Fatima | Rajina | Social Sciences | UCL IoE | UK |
Dr. | Manjeet | Ramgotra | Politics and International Studies | SOAS University of London | UK |
Dr | Glen | Rangwala | Politics and International Studies | University of Cambridge | UK |
Dr | Rahul | Rao | Politics and International Studies | SOAS University of London | UK/India |
Dr | Galadriel | Ravelli | University of Bath | United Kingdom | |
Dr | Andrea | Rehberg | Philosophy | Newcastle University | United Kingdom |
Professor | Kimberley | Reynolds | School of English Literature, Language and Linguistics | Newcastle University | United Kingdom |
Dr | Rasha | Rezk | Department of Engineering | University of Cambridge | |
Dr | Rasha | Rezk | Department of Engineering | University of Cambridge | |
PhD Candidate | Sarah | Rifky | History, Theory, Criticism; Architecture | MIT | United States |
Ms | Rebeca | Robertson | Professional Services | SOAS | UCU |
Dr | Roberto | Roccu | Senior Lecturer in International Political Economy | King’s College London | |
Dr | Leon | Rocha | School of History and Heritage | University of Lincoln | United Kingdom |
Eleanor | Rowley | Politics, Languages and International Studies | University of Bath | United Kingdom | |
Dr | Camilla | Royle | Geography | King’s College London | United Kingdom |
Dr. | Anita | Rupprecht | School of Humanities | University of Brighton | United Kingdon |
Dr | Christa | Salamandra | Anthropology | City University of New York | USA |
Ilyas | Saliba | Democracy & Democratization | WZB Berlin Social Science Center | Germany | |
Professor | Raphael | Salkie | School of Humanities | University of Brighton | UK |
Dr | Joanne | Sayner | Media, Culture, Heritage | Newcastle University | UK |
Emeritus Professor | Richard | Seaford | Classics and Ancinet History | University of Exter | UK |
Peter | Seddon | artist/curator/writer | Brighton (retired academic 2012) | UK | |
Mrs. | Ana | Sevilla-Merino | Skills Centre | University of Bath | UK (United Kingdom) |
Ms | Aisyah | Shah Idil | Communications | University of Technology Sydney | Australia |
PhD studenr | Samir | Shalabi | Social Anthropology | Stockholm University | Sweden |
Dr | Chinmay | Sharma | |||
Mr | Ian | Sinclair | Humanities | University of Brighton | United Kingdom |
Mrs | Elaine | Smith | IHS | Newcastle University | England |
Dr | Joanne | Smith Finley | East Asian Studies- School of Modern Languages | Newcastle University | UK |
Dr | Rasha | Soliman | Arabic, Islamic and Middle Eastern Studies | University of Leeds | United Kingdom |
Dr. | Lucia | Sorbera | Arabic Language and Cultures | The University of Sydney | Australia |
Dr | Rosalynd | Southern | Communication and Media | The University of Liverpool | United Kingdom |
Professor | Bill | Spence | Queen Mary University of London | UK | |
Dr | Matthew | Spencer | School of Environmental Sciences | University of Liverpool | UK |
Dr | Amy | Stabler | Business School | Newcastle University | UK |
Dr. | Joshua | Stacher | Political Science | Kent State University | USA |
Dr | Colin | Stoneman | Retired | University of York | United Kingdom |
Ms | Hedley | Sugar-Wells | INTO | INTO Newcastle University | UK |
Title | First name | Surname | Department or Faculty | University or Institution | Country |
Dr. | Robert | Tally | English | Texas State University | USA |
Andrea | Teti | Politics and International Relations | University of Aberdeen | Scotland | |
Dr | Jennifer | Thomson | Politics, Languages and International Studies | University of Bath | UK |
Alberto | Toscano | Sociology | Goldsmiths, University of London | ||
Grant | Tregonning | United Kingdom | |||
Olivia | Turner | Fine Art | Newcastle University | UK | |
Professor | Martin | Upchurch | Business School | Middlesex University | United Kingdom |
Katerina | Vrablikova | PoLIS | University of Bath | United Kingdom | |
Dr | Yair | Wallach | Languages and Cultures | SOAS | United Kingdom |
Mr | Sean | Wallis | UCL UCU president and UCU National Executive | UCL, University of London | UK |
Dr | David | Warren | Jewish, Islamic, and Middle Eastern Studies | Washington University in St. Louis | USA |
Mr | David | Waterhouse | Tropical Disease Biology | Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine | United Kingdom |
Josepha | Wessels | School of Arts and communication | Malmö University | Sweden | |
Dr | Emma | Whipday | School of English | Newcastle University | England |
Dr | Sophie | Whiting | PoLIS | University of Bath | United Kingdom |
Dr | Lesley | Whitworth | School of Humanities | University of Brighton | UK |
Professor | David | Whyte | Sociology, Social Policy and Criminology | University of Liverpool | UK |
Prof | Anil | Wipat | Computing | Newcastle University | United Kingdom |
Dr | Elisa | Wynne-Hughes | Politics and International Relations | Cardiff University | UK |
Haim | Yacobi | DPU | UCL | UK | |
Dr | Waseem | Yaqoob | Lecturer in History | Queen Mary, University of London | |
Mohammed | Yusuf | United Kingdom | |||
Dr | Leo | Zeilig | University of London | UK | |
Dr. | Mehdi | Zibaei | Politilal Science | Imam khomeini International University | Iran |