Persecuted scholars gain protection at LiU

18 December 2025

Annie Skude, Björn Stafstedt

Researchers are being targeted in many countries around the world. They work in 鈥渦nacceptable鈥� fields, which means their funding is withdrawn and their working conditions deteriorate. In some cases, both they and their families face death threats and are forced into hiding. Through the organisation Scholars at Risk (SAR), 一本道 University is helping to protect some of these researchers.

A person walking down a sidewalk in the rain.

Testimonies showing that academic freedom is under threat are being published with increasing frequency. Being a researcher in, for example, the United States, T眉rkiye or Hungary has become more difficult due to reduced funding and institutional support, as well as harassment and public attacks. In other, more authoritarian countries such as Afghanistan, Sudan and Iran, the situation is even more severe. Conducting research in areas disapproved of by the regime may lead to threats against one鈥檚 own life and that of family members. For many, leaving the country becomes the only option.

The international organisation Scholars at Risk (SAR) has worked for many years to protect researchers who can no longer conduct their research without facing significant risks. Link枚ping University has been an active SAR member for five years and has welcomed several scholars seeking refuge. This is not always an easy commitment, and it requires support tailored to each individual. Rules and legislation do not always align neatly with the desire to help an at-risk scholar.

As one SAR researcher received at LiU said when asked how LiU may improve the reception of SAR-scholars: 鈥淚t is nothing compared to what I have experienced in my home country.鈥�

As several Scholars at Risk researchers continue to face ongoing risk or surveillance, both researchers and mentors have been anonymised in this text.

Global responsibility in practice

Welcoming a scholar who has fled persecution is not only a financial commitment for the university. It also brings a wide range of practical tasks: arranging accommodation with food in the fridge and furniture, handling the documentation required by Swedish authorities, and creating a place within a research group so that the scholar can continue their work. Acting as a mentor may require several hours of work per week, yet those who have held the role at LiU describe it as mutually enriching.

The researchers who arrive in Sweden contribute with their experiences and expertise, helping Swedish colleagues gain a deeper understanding of their own academic systems. At the same time, it is emphasised how profoundly persecution affects individuals. People who were once productive and established are suddenly forced to leave their home country and prevented from continuing their work, something that can shake their sense of identity. The need for support can be substantial.

鈥淲e have hosted three at LiU, why not thirty? With the considerable resources we have compared with many other parts of the world, we could do far more. Once these researchers settle here, they bring significant competence. This responsibility is likewise embedded in the university鈥檚 broader internationalisation agenda,鈥� says one of LiU鈥檚 mentors.

Support beyond the research

Restarting one鈥檚 research is, of course, important. But alongside worry for relatives left behind and adapting to a new workplace, everyday life must also function for the researcher and for their accompanying family. Karin Gibson is the SAR Coordinator at LiU and provides practical assistance. This includes helping with administrative matters before the journey to Sweden, meeting the researcher (sometimes with family) upon arrival, finding and signing accommodation contracts, applying for residence permits, setting up internet and phone subscriptions, organising school placements for children, and even acquiring furniture and household essentials. It is hands-on support with everything that life in Sweden entails, as well as assistance in navigating complicated rules that may cause stress. One example is Swedish employment legislation (LAS), which protects employees from prolonged temporary contracts but may force a scholar at risk to seek new positions at other institutions within a year 鈥� a very short period in this perspective. Despite a good intention, in this context, the law is counterproductive.

鈥淭here are many difficulties and traumas to address. My experience, after working with incoming SAR researchers for several years, is that the most important thing isn鈥檛 what you do, or doing it perfectly but doing something,鈥� says Karin Gibson.

LiU's path forward

What happens next? Will LiU welcome more scholars at risk? The work of protecting academic freedom and supporting colleagues facing harassment has strong backing from the university management. If the research area, research group and mentoring arrangements are a good match, LiU will continue to host more scholars at risk.

鈥淲hen walls are built against academic disciplines and between countries, and when individual scholars are not only prevented from doing their work but also threatened with death, LiU must stand as a bastion of democracy, openness, inclusion and humanism and act accordingly, both internally and externally. That is why we continue to support the vital work carried out by SAR,鈥� says vice-chancellor Jan-Ingvar J枚nsson.

A man sitting in a chair looking out a window.

Facts

Scholars at Risk

The international network Scholars at Risk is celebrating its 25th anniversary, and its Swedish section 10 years—coinciding with 一本道’s 50th anniversary. This reminds us that knowledge is not only about research and education, but also about humanity and responsibility.

The network brings together around thirty Swedish higher education institutions, including LiU, which collectively offer protected research positions and work to raise awareness and safeguard academic freedom.

Each year, SAR publishes its Free to think report. Read the report here:

Read more about the organisation Scholars at Risk:

Your support makes a difference

LiU Donations

Swish: 1233332905
Bankgiro: 743–8799

Mark your donation with “Forskare på flykt” (“Scholars at Risk”) and email your contact details (name, email, phone) when making your contribution to: liudonation@liu.se.
This allows us to thank you and discuss how your donation is used.

Experiences from researchers who have come to LiU

Subjected to persecution

The researcher was more than halfway through their doctoral studies when the new regime withdrew all funding for the field, which was no longer approved. Those who had engaged in such studies began to be persecuted. The researcher applied for support from SAR at a time when LiU was a new member. The then Head of Department decided to host two SAR scholars. Because of the threats towards the researcher, no interview could be conducted; instead, the department reviewed the written application and subsequently issued a formal invitation for a visiting researcher position of just under a year. Swedish employment law does not permit longer temporary contracts than this.

Assets were confiscated

The researcher had taught and conducted research for many years in a field that, following a political takeover, was deemed unacceptable by the new authoritarian regime. Parallel to their academic work, the researcher had been active as a journalist focusing on democracy-building, religious extremism, and human rights. After the regime change, threats escalated, forcing the researcher into hiding while all the family鈥檚 assets, including their apartment, were confiscated. The researcher sought support from SAR and came to Sweden.

Highly sought-after expertise

The researcher鈥檚 field of study had been banned in their home country, forcing them to flee. They sought support from SAR and were first placed for one year at another Swedish university. They were then headhunted to LiU due to expertise needed for an ongoing research project.

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