UK varsities criticised

British universities have been accused of turning a blind eye to human rights abuses in Egypt in pursuit of opening campuses under the country’s authoritarian regime.

More than 200 prominent academics and others in the United Kingdom university sector have signed a letter to the British Guardian newspaper, opposing the collaboration against the backdrop of unanswered questions about the abduction and murder of the Cambridge PhD student Giulio Regeni.

Regeni was an Italian Cambridge University graduate who was abducted and tortured to death in Egypt, where he was based. He had been researching Egypt’s independent trade unions. The incident caused a diplomatic stand-off between Cairo and Rome.

The outrage of the academics follows the advocacy group Universities UK promoting partnerships between British higher education institutions and their Egyptian counterparts through a series of memorandums of understanding.

Opposition to the plans follows a high-profile delegation to Cairo in June by 11 UK universities, supported by the British government. – ANA