"Sheffield Hallam University staff in China were threatened by individuals described by them as being from China's National Security Service who demanded the research being done in Sheffield be halted. And access to the university's websites from China was blocked, impeding its ability to recruit Chinese students, in a campaign of threats and intimidation lasting more than two years. In an internal email from July 2024, university officials said "attempting to retain the business in China and publication of the research are now untenable bedfellows"."
"When the UK government learned of the case, the then Foreign Secretary David Lammy issued a warning to his Chinese counterpart that it would not tolerate attempts to suppress academic freedoms at UK universities, the BBC understands. The issue was also raised with China's most senior education minister. China was seeking to halt research by Laura Murphy, professor of human rights and contemporary slavery at Sheffield Hallam, into allegations Uyghur Muslims in the north-western region of Xinjiang were subject to forced labour."
"In late 2024, following pressure from the Chinese state and a separate defamation law suit against the university, Sheffield Hallam decided not to publish a final piece of research by Prof Murphy and her team into forced labour. And in early 2025, university administrators told her that she could "not continue with her research into supply chains and forced labour in China"."
China carried out a campaign of harassment and intimidation targeting Sheffield Hallam University to stop research into alleged forced labour of Uyghur Muslims. University staff in China received threats from individuals described as being from China's National Security Service, and access to the university's websites from China was blocked, harming student recruitment. An internal July 2024 email said retaining business in China and publishing the research had become incompatible. After state pressure and a separate defamation lawsuit, the university did not publish a final report and barred Professor Laura Murphy from continuing related research. The UK government raised the matter with Chinese counterparts. Professor Murphy has initiated legal action claiming a failure to protect her academic freedom.
Read at www.bbc.com
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