Since the military seized power at the start of February, it has been coming down increasingly hard on protesters, many of whom are university members. There have been raids on several university campuses, with students and staff participating in peaceful protests having been verbally or physically intimidated or even detained.
HRK President Prof Dr Peter-André Alt said:
“We are seeing serious breaches of people’s rights to freedom of expression and assembly as well as their academic freedom. We are extremely concerned about the situation.”
The Senate of the HRK declared its support to the students and staff at Myanmar universities and is calling for everyone involved to put an end to the violence and return to democratic methods and principles.
Working to create strong and academically independent universities is one key to the country’s continued development. In recent years, steps have been taken to reform the university sector, but this progress is now at risk of being all but wiped out.
RK Vice-President Prof Dr Bernd Scholz-Reiter said:
“It is crucial that we maintain our existing relationships with contacts in the country wherever possible. German universities share a keen interest in continuing to support their partners in Myanmar going forward and furthering their ongoing efforts to increase capacity.”
Further Reading
- University World News (18.03.21): Military invades campuses, student leaders tortured
