Student Leaders Arrested at University of Education, Winneba
Ten student leaders at the University of Education, Winneba (UEW) were arrested following protests against the university administration’s decision to increase academic fees by 30% and implement new restrictions on student organizations. The demonstration, which had been peaceful and had followed proper notification procedures, was violently dispersed by Ghana Police Service officers. Emmanuel Kwesi Mintah, […]
Dismissal of Lecturers at University of Lagos
In February 2020, the University of Lagos (UNILAG) Governing Council terminated the appointments of seven lecturers, including Professor Oluwatoyinn Ogundipe and Dr. Taiwo Oyedeji, who had publicly criticized the university administration’s handling of funds and government policies on higher education. The dismissals came shortly after the academics participated in a national debate on university autonomy […]
Violence Against Academics During 2019 Protests
During the 2019 Sudanese Revolution that led to the ousting of President Omar al-Bashir, universities became central sites of protest and subsequent repression. On April 11, 2019, security forces and militia groups loyal to al-Bashir stormed the campus of the University of Khartoum, Sudan’s oldest and most prestigious university. The attack targeted a peaceful sit-in […]
Arrest of Student Activists at University of Zimbabwe
On June 24, 2022, Zimbabwe Republic Police arrested more than a dozen student leaders at the University of Zimbabwe during a peaceful demonstration against a 1000% tuition fee increase announced by the university administration. The protest had been organized by the Zimbabwe National Students Union (ZINASU) after attempts to engage university authorities in dialogue failed. […]
Imprisonment of Dr. Stella Nyanzi
Dr. Stella Nyanzi, a medical anthropologist, feminist scholar, and researcher at the Makerere University Institute of Social Research, was arrested after publishing a poem on Facebook critical of President Yoweri Museveni and his mother. The poem used explicit sexual metaphors and vulgar language, which is characteristic of “radical rudeness,” a traditional Ugandan form of protest […]