University Professors Statement Warns of Escalating Security Crackdown on Students
A number of Egyptian university professors stressed that armed police presence on campus has disrupted the educational process and caused loss of student lives. They also expressed concern about the continuation of the security-oriented approach of university administrations in dealing with students.
In a statement, the professors said: "Police forces entering Egypt's university campuses in an unprecedented manner during the last academic year caused obstruction of the educational process, student repression and loss of student lives.
"We denounce the junta security crackdown and its negative impact, and warn of the consequences of increased tension within universities."
Signatories to the statement affirmed the right of students to peacefully express their opinions within their universities. They reaffirmed academic freedom, university independence and the importance of the appropriate climate for the educational process, as well as the importance of sensibility in dealing with the lives and security of students.
Further, the signatories to the statement demanded that the heads of universities adopt a more civilized approach in dealing with the worsening situation in the universities, and that they avoid security-minded solutions that may seem more decisive but in fact fail abjectly, with disastrous consequences.
The professors' statement called on the heads of universities and relevant state agencies to conduct prompt and transparent investigations of the attacks on university students on campus, in which last week the student Omar Al-Sharif received fatal injuries at the University of Alexandria (he succumbed to his wounds days later).
Signatories to the Professors' Statement:
1 - Ibtihal Younis – Faculty of Arts, Cairo University
2 - Amal Abu-Six – Faculty of Engineering, Cairo University
3 - Amina Rashid – Faculty of Arts, Cairo University
4 - Iman Mohamed Ali – Faculty of Science , Ain Shams University
5 - Inas Zakaria – Institute for Environmental Studies and Research, Sadat City University
6 - Parvin Al-Rifai – Faculty of Arts, Cairo
7 - Tasneem Sharkawi – Faculty of Arts, Cairo
8 - Hanan Sabea – American University in Cairo
9 - Khaled Samir – Medicine, Ain Shams
10 - Dalia Hussein – Law, Zagazig
11 - Dina Khawaga – Politics and Economy, Cairo
12 - Reda Haggag – Urban Planning, Cairo
13 - Randa Abu Bakr – Faculty of Arts, Cairo
14 - Reem Mustafa – Faculty of Arts, Cairo
15 - Zaynab Awad-Allah – Law, Alexandria
16 - Sami Afifi – Faculty of Engineering, Ain Shams
17 - Sherine Abul-Naga – Faculty of Arts, Cairo
18 - Aida Seif Al-Dawla – Medicine, Ain Shams
19 - Amr Shalakany – Medicine, Ain Shams
20 - Awatif Abdul-Rahman – Media, Cairo
21 - Faten Morsi – Faculty of Arts, Ain Shams
22 - Mohamed Tabeishat – American University in Cairo
23 - Mohamed Nafie – Faculty of Engineering, Cairo
24 - Mohamed Kamal Kamel – Faculty of Arts, Cairo
25 - Manar Kholi – Medicine, Cairo
26 - Mona Sabri – Humanities, Azhar
27 - Nada Hegazy – Alsun (Faculty of Languages), Ain Shams
28 - Nashwa Muharram – Faculty of Arts, Ain Shams
29 - Hani Al-Husseini – Faculty of Science , Cairo