As a response to all the pressure put on the Student Eye staff from different people both inside and outside university, Student Eye stops blogging for fifteen days.
Since Student Eye staff has started blogging at the American University of Iraq-Sulaimani, tremendous pressure has been put on our writers and bloggers. Recently, it reached a dangerous level. Student Eye protestes this undemocratic behavior of some of the AUI-S administrators by stop blogging for 15 days.
Student Eye is the first and the only truly independent media which has served AUI-S community by providing news and opinion pieces on daily bases. We have tried to be the voice of the voiceless and the trusted eye of the AUI-S students. However, there are people who put barriers on our way almost every day. We cannot accept this anymore.
This temporary halt is a protest to those uncivil treatments that our staff face because of blogging for Student Eye.
Student Eye faces this shameful act of pressure while AUI-S Catalogue states the following:
"Academic freedom is central to the intellectual life of The American University of Iraq – Sulaimani. We believe that all members of the University possess both the right and the responsibility to follow an argument wherever it may lead; that intellectual inquiry must be protected against those who would reject it, silence it, or punish it; and that the pursuit of truth properly lies at the core of university life and is fundamental to human progress."
We are not happy in making this decision, but we had no other choice to send the message. If the pressure put on our staff and writers didn't stop, we will have no choice but to spell out the attacks on freedom of speech and those people who are behind us.
Student Eye Staff
6 Comments: on "Freedom of Speech is Under Attack, Student Eye Stops for Fifteen Days"
This tests how valid the statement that liberal arts the foundation of freedom and democracy is. Or does teaching freedom/liberal arts only work for western universities and not for western style universities in the east? That of course assuming that AUIS is a real liberal arts university. Or that it should be one.
What do they think are they doing???
Very interesting!
Is AUI-S really the place where we are supposing to build up the new "Iraq's future leaders” in??
If SO, we will need to review some of the (big words’) concepts, such as Democracy, Liberty and Freedom of speech! Otherwise, those (big words) in our understanding will turn to (big problems)!!
Iraq
This doesn't surprise ME, of course. Sorry guys. Those words about spreading democracy and freedom are just lies to cover-up their real motives. I'd encourage you to get the heck out of there, but I'm not sure there are any better alternatives...
Just have a Look at the people behind the AUI-S and tell me if THEY ARE ABOUT DEMOCRACY!!
I posted a piece about your protest halt here:
http://ishtar-enana.blogspot.com/2011/05/blog-post_07.html
DEMOCRACY and ABOUT in AUI-S? Ishtar .. do not tell me, I can guess!
I think Mr. Mark have had enough of it since he was an insider viewer! Not to mention this article!!
Iraq
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