A professor who spearheaded research into forced labor in China said Monday that a UK university halted the work following pressure from Beijing.
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AFP reports: Recognized globally for her academic work on contemporary slavery, Laura Murphy hired human rights lawyers to challenge Sheffield Hallam University’s decision to curtail her research, forcing a U-turn.
Murphy has published numerous reports on the links between forced labor in China's northwestern Xinjiang region and various global supply chains.
China has consistently rejected accusations of forced labor in the region, home to a Muslim minority that human rights groups say is persecuted in western China.
After initiating legal action, Murphy, a professor at the Helena Kennedy Centre for International Justice, said the institution in central England has pledged to protect her academic freedom and has apologized.
Her lawyers at the law firm Leigh Day said the reversal came shortly after documents obtained through freedom of information requests revealed that the university had acted in response to "direct threats" from Chinese security services.
Beijing also blocked access to the university’s website and email addresses within China, which threatens to hinder the recruitment of students there.
In a statement, Murphy said that UK universities should not be “acting as the long arm” of the Chinese government and aiding “its attempts to silence criticism of its crimes against the Uyghurs and other minorities.”
"It's imperative that the academic community persist in conducting rigorous research that sheds light on what is happening," she added.
Murphy told BBC Radio that she had learned that Chinese authorities were "intimidating, harassing, and interrogating the university's staff in Beijing."
Murphy told BBC Radio that she had learned that Chinese authorities were "intimidating, harassing, and interrogating the university's staff in Beijing."
She said the university told her earlier this year that it would no longer permit any research on forced labor or China, and that significant restrictions would be placed on her external work.
A Sheffield Hallam spokesperson insisted the initial decision "was not based on commercial interests in China," noting that the country "is not a significant international student market for the university."
Only 73 of the 4,204 international students enrolled for the 2024–25 academic year were from China, accounting for less than two percent.
"The university's decision was based on our understanding of a complex set of circumstances at the time, including our inability to secure the necessary professional indemnity insurance," the spokesperson added.
"We will uphold and, where required, robustly defend the academic freedom of our staff."
Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s spokesman confirmed that ministers had previously intervened over the accusations.
"After learning of this case, government ministers raised it with Beijing, and we welcome the university’s decision to support this research," the spokesman said.