How many Iraqi academics have been killed and when?
The BRussells Tribunal has compiled a list that names over 270 Iraqi academics murdered between 2003 and 2006. The Iraqi Association of University Lecturers say the number is over 300. The puppet government of Iraq has itself confirmed over 150 assassinations. Other estimates place the number over 1000. This is in addition to the thousands forced to flee Iraq in fear of their lives. That so many are subject to forced exile is testament to the violent climate that faces Iraqi educators, intellectuals and academics. Further to assassinations, disappearances and forced exile, a report published in 2005 by the International Leadership Institute, affiliated to the United Nations University, found that Eighty-four per cent of higher education institutes were burned, looted or destroyed, following the US invasion in 2003. For media reports and background, click here and scroll down.
