In principle, the university is an institution open to all on the basis of merit, and should serve as an important intellectual resource not only to governments and industry, but also to individuals and interests independent of the state. In practice, attacks on campus-based critics and politically motivated government interventions often threaten to turn the university into an institution that exclusively serves the interests of state authorities. International human rights standards offer academics a principled basis for resisting authoritarian political pressures and defending the institutional autonomy necessary for academic excellence. This is the bedrock of academic freedom. A university fulfills its mission when academics are not forced to support an official line, an economic agenda, or a political ideology, but rather are free to use their talents to advance human knowledge and understanding.
Freedom of expression is also a core civil and political right.
There can be no liberty and no meaningful citizenship where individuals are denied the basic right to ask questions and seek information about what is going on in their own society, and to share their ideas and views with others. Although pressures to limit critical inquiry and academic debate can come from diverse quarters, the arbitrary exercise of government power continues to represent the most significant threat to the academic community. Although one might have hoped that abuses would end with the cold war, experience has proven otherwise. To date, international attention to the right to free expression has understandably emphasized artistic freedom and freedom of the press, essential attributes of an open, democratic society. Relatively little attention, however, has been paid to the crucial role played by education in preserving and giving meaning to the right, and, in particular, to the role of the university as an institution dedicated to inquiry, information and ideas.