China is threatening academic freedom in Australia, says HRW Australia News

Human Rights Watch has complained that Australian universities do not support the academic freedom of pro-democracy Chinese students, saying many of them have changed their behavior and self-censored to prevent harassment and “denounce” authorities back home.

In the news report HRW, which was released on Wednesday, said the Australian university – depending on the fees charged by international students – “blinds the eyes of the Chinese government and its representatives to the persecution and surveillance”.

The group said it had interviewed 24 pro-democracy students in mainland China and Hong Kong, and in China had checked three cases in which police asked them to visit their families or reunite with their families about Australian student activities.

In one case, Chinese authorities threatened a student with jail when he was studying in Australia when they opened a Twitter account and posted pro-democracy messages.

The student told HRW that the Chinese mainland police “contacted my parents … and gave me an official warning and told me” I had to shut up. “

“They have told me that I need to shut down my Twitter, stop spreading anti-government messages and cooperate, they will accuse me of a crime,” the student said. “I deleted my Twitter account. Because I’m worried about my parents. “

HRW says pro-Beijing students in Australia are harassed and intimidated by those who express support for democracy movements. A female student reported that a classmate received a threatening message after attending a demonstration in support of Hong Kong’s democracy in Australia.

“I’m looking at you,” he said. Personally, I felt scared, “he said.” I was in a course with 98 percent of the students on the mainland. The students made a bad impression on me. I was not loyal to the country. “

HRW said all pro-democracy students interviewed feared that Australian activities could punish or interrogate Chinese authorities at home, and said those concerns had an impact on what was said in class, when choosing friends and even what class to decide. or attending events.

“I have to censor myself,” said one student from the mainland. “This is the reality, I came to Australia and I am not yet free. I never talk politics here. ”

The majority of these students have not reported the harassment to their university, HRW said, fearing that their university will not take the threat seriously or that their university is only sympathetic to Chinese pro-Beijing students.

Bullying was not limited to students, according to HRW.

According to the group, pro-Beijing students and social media users have been harassed, intimidated and doxxed by some academics at Australian universities if they send their personal information – if academics are critical or “sensitive” to the Chinese Communist Party. Issues like Taiwan, Tibet, Hong Kong or Xinjiang.

In one case, last year, Beijing supporters described him as a country where he was persecuted, persecuted and punished, and an academic who spoke out in defense of a Taiwanese student. As a result, according to HRW, the Australian university had to temporarily remove the academic teaching profile from the university’s website.

According to HRW, Chinese Studies or specialized academics also reported that they regularly practice self-censorship while talking about China. An academic also reported that a university official said he was offering a “cleaned” version of his Chinese Studies unit.

“When all of our teaching went online, I received an email from the IT department saying they had set up a VPN [virtual private network] In China, there was concern about the content of teaching, “he told HRW.” Another academic, who was also teaching another unit of Chinese Studies, offered a “cleaned” version of the course to PRC students. Is it something I would be willing to consider in my course? “No, I’m not ready for that,” I said.

All of this, HRW said, was happening on the eve of the Chinese government’s effort to undermine academic freedom worldwide. The Chinese government has said it has been more courageous in recent years in trying to control Chinese foreign students and censor academic debates and academic research.

Australian universities – roughly 40 per cent of all international students from China – need to do more to counter the actions of the Chinese government, said Sophie McNeill, an Australian researcher at HRW.

“Australian university administrators are not fulfilling their duty of care to protect the rights of Chinese students,” he said. “Australian universities rely on quotas brought by international students, while the Chinese government and its representatives hide concerns about bullying and surveillance. Universities should talk and take specific measures to support the academic freedom of these students and staff.”