Navigating the ‘mental prison’ – Mubashar Hasan on higher education in Bangladesh
Release Date: 05/16/2024
“Universities are more important than ever, even in times of conflict." Dr. Robert Egnell on why Truth Matters at the Swedish Defence University
Free to Think Podcast
Amid conflicts and political tensions around the world, the Swedish Defence University sees its role as a source of research and education that contributes to a “robust and democratic society.” That is the contention of Vice Chancellor Dr. Robert Egnell, who highlights SDU’s unique role in educating officers and civilians, as well as helping the broader public make sense of complicated times. SDU furthers that mission by also hosting displaced academics—including Ukrainian scholars—with Dr. Egnell noting that maintaining higher education during war serves as a vital act of hope,...
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“All science is about truth. And if it is not, it is ideology.” Prof. Dr. Lilli Gast on why Truth Matters at the International Psychoanalytic University (IPU)
Free to Think Podcast
Prof. Dr. Lilli Gast, Chair of the Supervisory Board and Senior Professor at the International Psychoanalytic University (IPU) in Berlin, sees SAR’s 25th anniversary theme Truth Matters across her work. In discussing psychoanalysis as a "project of enlightenment," Dr. Gast reflects on the fundamental connection between psychoanalysis, truth-seeking, and academic freedom. “All science is about truth,” she says. “And if it is not, it is ideology.” As a longtime member of the SAR network and a founding member of the SAR Germany section, IPU also demonstrates how welcoming at-risk...
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"Light, Life, Liberty:" President Andreas Marx on why Truth Matters at the University of Jena
Free to Think Podcast
“We need to be open in order to be strong,” asserts Professor Dr. Andreas Marx, President of Friedrich Schiller University Jena. Framing openness as a necessity for both academic excellence and societal resilience, Dr. Marx discusses how his institution lives out its core mission of “Light, Life, Liberty.” To counter local political pressures on academic freedom and rebuild public trust in science post-pandemic, the university is practicing openness through direct community engagement—opening a dedicated communication hub and launching a mobile science bus to bring research directly...
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"We can become more powerful in our struggle if we unite.” Camilla Croso on why Truth Matters at the Coalition for Academic Freedom in the Americas (CAFA)
Free to Think Podcast
Camilla Croso, Executive Director of the Coalition for Academic Freedom in the Americas (CAFA), one of three coalitions for academic freedom founded in partnership with Scholars at Risk, joins SAR Executive Director Rob Quinn to discuss the importance of truth-seeking for a healthy democracy. Croso describes CAFA’s work to deepen collaboration, in particular through partnerships between the global North and South. She also highlights that creativity cuts across all intellectual areas, uniting academics, artists, and journalists. "We can become more powerful in our...
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“We should be active in communicating what we stand for.” Rector Martin Paul on why Truth Matters at Ruhr University Bochum
Free to Think Podcast
Threats to truth, inquiry, and free expression abound today. For Professor Dr. Martin Paul, Rector of Ruhr University Bochum, that means universities should be even more vocal about how those values are embodied on campus. RUB is a hive of activity on these themes, with threatened scholars continuing their research, student advocacy seminars, and even a “Garden of Refuge” exhibition created by SAR advocacy seminar students and situated within the university’s botanical garden, honoring scholars who have been wrongfully imprisoned. In this conversation, Professor Paul and SAR Executive...
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“There can be no justice without the search for truth.” Anne Weyembergh on why Truth Matters at the Université libre de Bruxelles
Free to Think Podcast
The Université libre de Bruxelles has a long tradition of hosting threatened scholars from all over the world. In this conversation with SAR Executive Director Rob Quinn, Anne Weyembergh, Professor of Law and Vice Rector for External Relations and Cooperation, describes the motivations for and impact of hosting scholars, such as keeping scholarship “free from repression, persecution,” given that “in many contexts, researchers are threatened because they produce or defend truths.” Professor Weyembergh also draws on her academic background to explore how truth-seeking is vital in...
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“Somebody wanted me in prison…” Paul Chambers and Tyrell Haberkorn on laws silencing scholars in Thailand
Free to Think Podcast
Dr. Tyrell Haberkorn and Dr. Paul Chambers join Free to Think to discuss the use of Thailand’s lèse-majesté law to intimidate and silence scholars. After three decades living and working in Thailand, Professor Paul Chambers was arrested in April 2025 and charged under Article 112 of the Thai Criminal Code with lèse-majesté, or insulting the monarchy. He believes he was targeted in retaliation for his research on the military and democracy. After an international campaign on his behalf, the charges against him were dropped, but he lost his university position, and his visa was revoked. He...
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“People were disappeared, just like the smoke.” Omar Gómez Trejo on seeking truth and justice in the 2014 Ayotzinapa case in Iguala, Mexico
Free to Think Podcast
Free to Think speaks with Omar Gómez Trejo, a lawyer and human rights advocate from Mexico. Omar gained prominence as the special prosecutor leading the investigation into the disappearance of 43 student teachers from the Ayotzinapa Rural Teachers’ College in the city of Iguala, Mexico. From 2019-2022, Omar’s team secured indictments for over 100 federal, state, and local authorities for their involvement in the disappearances or subsequent cover-ups, including military officials and organized crime members. His team also worked closely with the families of victims and their legal...
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"Before being a scientist, I'm a human being:" Dr. Encieh Erfani on exile and solidarity among Iranian academics abroad
Free to Think Podcast
As the first in her family to attend university, Dr. Encieh Erfani was drawn to the stars. Her interest led her to physics and cosmology, examining the origin of the universe – a rare subject in Iran at the time. Dr. Erfani was traveling outside of Iran in September 2022 when the “Women, Life, Freedom” movement began, sparked by the death in custody of Mahsa Amini. In solidarity, Dr. Erfani stepped down from her academic position in Iran. Her resignation email quickly went viral on social media and she has not been able to return since, knowing she would risk imprisonment by...
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“It never crossed my mind to stop…” Omar Mohammed on using scholarship for the public good
Free to Think Podcast
Omar Mohammed first gained international prominence in 2014 as the anonymous blogger “Mosul Eye”, risking his life to document daily existence in the occupied city of Mosul, Iraq. His blog was considered one of the few reliable, real-time sources of information on life under the Islamic State (aka ISIS or Daesh in Arabic), and proved to be a critical source of information for journalists, policy-makers, and scholars. Mosul was liberated from ISIS in 2017 but only after an extended, months-long battle that left much of the city badly damaged. Omar, now based in France, remains deeply...
info_outlineFree to Think speaks with academic, policy analyst and human rights activist Mubashar Hasan. He describes how in Bangladesh certain research topics are off-limits, particularly those that threaten the power of the ruling class, and speaks from first-hand experience — Hasan survived 44 days of “enforced disappearance” in Bangladesh in 2017.
Now based in Sydney, Australia, Hasan describes the ‘mental prison’ Bangladeshi colleagues navigate when trying to balance doing their work with the risks they face daily: “I had to negotiate with myself, ‘Should I be silent? Or should I express myself?’
Hasan is now a Postdoctoral Fellow at the Department of Culture Studies and Oriental Languages at Oslo University, Norway and an adjunct research fellow at the Humanitarian and Development Initiative at Western Sydney University, Australia. Learn more about Hasan’s work at: mubasharhasan.com