Condemnation of the University of Bern’s Cancellation of the Human Rights Event on Gaza (30 June 2025)

The Collective for Academic Freedom, Democracy and Solidarity (CLADS) of the University of Lausanne and EPFL condemns the decision of the University of Bern leadership to cancel the event on human rights in Gaza and Palestine schedules on June 30th, with Amnesty International’s General Secretary General Agnes Callamard and UN Special Rapporteur on Palestine Dr Francesca Albanese. This decision flies in the face of the most basic standards of academic freedom. It also takes a clear position against human rights. In caving to (far) right political pressure, the leadership of the University of Bern has politically aligned itself: against academic freedom, against human rights, against international solidarity with the victims of crimes against humanity – in short against the most fundamental values of any university worthy of this name. We stand in solidarity with our colleagues at the University of Bern who would have benefited from this exceptional high level and urgent event, and we join other organisations in Switzerland and abroad condemning such censorship of a human rights conference and destruction of academic freedom at the University of Bern.

Links :

News of cancellation: https://www.rts.ch/info/regions/berne/2025/article/universite-de-berne-annule-un-debat-d-amnesty-sur-la-palestine-controverse-28927523.html 

Presentation of event from Amnesty International : https://www.amnesty.ch/de/ueber-amnesty/veranstaltungen/2025/panels-callamard-francesca-albanese 

Statement of the Association of Palestinian and Jewish Academics: https://pja-verein.de/2025/06/30/stellungnahme-des-vereins-palastinensischer-und-judischer-akademikerinnen-pja-zur-absage-der-veranstaltung-mit-francesca-albanese-und-an-der-universitat-bern/