BRISMES Committee on Academic Freedom
The BRISMES Committee on Academic Freedom was set up to monitor and defend academic freedom in the research, study and teaching of Middle East Studies in the UK and anywhere in the world, including in academic institutions in the Middle East and North Africa.
To learn more about how the committee works, please see the Terms of Reference.
The current Chair of the BRISMES Committee on Academic Freedom is Lewis Turner (Senior Lecturer in International Politics, Newcastle University).
Latest Statement/Letter
The BRISMES Committee on Academic Freedom has written to the Ambassador of Kuwait in the UK to express our deep concern over the arrest of Dr Jassim Aljezza.
We respectfully request that the Ambassador urgently raise the matter with the relevant authorities in Kuwait with a view to ensuring that Dr Aljezza’s rights are fully protected and that he is afforded all due legal safeguards. We welcome any steps that support his prompt release, in accordance with Kuwait’s legal commitments to uphold human rights and academic freedom.
20 November 2025
Previous Statements
Please find here the list of statements published by the Committee on Academic Freedom.
Previous Letters
Please find here the list of public letters published by the Committee on Academic Freedom.
Database of Expertise
The Database of Expertise in Middle Eastern and Islamic Studies provides a publicly available list of MENA experts with their research and areas of expertise.
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