BRISMES Committee on Academic Freedom
The BRISMES Committee on Academic Freedom was set up to monitor and defend academic freedom in the research, study and teaching of Middle East Studies in the UK and anywhere in the world, including in academic institutions in the Middle East and North Africa.
To learn more about how the committee works, please see the Terms of Reference.
The current Chair of the BRISMES Committee on Academic Freedom is Lewis Turner (Senior Lecturer in International Politics, Newcastle University).
Latest Statement/Letter
The Committees on Academic Freedom of BRISMES, MESA, SEMOMM and SeSaMO have issued a statement regarding the persecution of historian Dr Maâti Monjib.
Dr Maâti Monjib has contributed, through his historical research, writings, his civic advocacies, and his commitment to freedom of the press, to building a space for critical reflection in which the contemporary history of Morocco, forms of power, authoritarian practices, and democratic issues could be publicly addressed. His work has been widely recognized by his peers. Since 2015, Moroccan authorities have subjected him to numerous judicial proceedings based on accusations that many international human rights organizations have deemed arbitrary.
The case of Maâti Monjib is an example of judicial and political persecution against a critical intellectual in the contemporary Maghreb. Defending Dr Monjib means defending principles that go beyond his individual case alone. It means affirming that no historian, academic, journalist, or intellectual should be aggressively pursued by the state because of their opinions. It means recalling that academic freedom cannot exist without political freedom, and that criticism of power constitutes an essential component of any democratic society.
We express our full solidarity with Dr Monjib, his family, and all those who, in Morocco, continue to defend—often at the risk of their own freedom—the right to free speech and expression, independent research, and justice.
7 July 2026
Read the statement in French
Previous Statements
Please find here the list of statements published by the Committee on Academic Freedom.
Previous Letters
Please find here the list of public letters published by the Committee on Academic Freedom.
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