Academic Freedom

(Statement of the General Union of Students of Iraq.)

"We, students of Iraq, are suffering from very hard and unbearable conditios prevailing in our University and general life . . . difficulties and deprivations in our educational and economic life as well as in our academic freedoms.

"According to the present regulations we have no right to express our point of view with regard to our teaching programmes, allhough these programmes contradict the most simple scientific and educational basis. We have no right to discuss general matters, even those touching our country's sovereignty and independence. We have no organisations recognised by the authorities of the Ministry of Education . . . . because of practising one or another of the above rights, we have suffered terrible oppression, and tens of our fellow students were thrown into prisons and concentran camps, a number of them were [unclear: shtd] hundreds of [unclear: others] were thrown out of schools and colleges and sent to Army Concentration Camps.

"This outrageous measure affects, besides the thousands of students, all teaching bodies in schools and colleges according to the anti-constitutional Law prohibiting officials and teaching bodies from political activities."