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
Joint Letter from BRISMES and SeSaMO Committees on Academic Freedom Regarding the Conference Perseguire i crimini commessi a Gaza: l'esperienza della Fondazione Hind Rajab
The Committees on Academic Freedom of BRISMES and the Italian Society for Middle East Studies (SeSaMO) have written to Florence University to express our support for the realisation of the conference Perseguire i crimini commessi a Gaza: l'esperienza della Fondazione Hind Rajab (‘Prosecuting crimes committed in Gaza: the experience of the Hind Rajab Foundation) and for our colleagues, who have been working towards its organisation. We also express our profound concern at the attempts to undermine the Hind Rajab Foundation’s credibility and legitimacy. The Hind Rajab Foundation is a widely respected non-governmental organisation whose work is well-regarded by prominent international organisations, including the UN and the EU Parliament.
We urge the university leadership to ensure that the conference – on a topic of significant scholarly importance – goes ahead as planned at the University of Florence.
11 November 2026
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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