Sheffield Hallam University complied with a demand from Beijing to halt research on human rights abuses in China, leading to the abandonment of a major project, the Guardian has revealed. In February, the university ordered Professor Laura Murphy, a leading expert on forced labour, to cease her work on supply chains and Uyghur forced labour in China.
Murphy's research, conducted at the Helena Kennedy Centre for International Justice (HKC), has been widely cited by Western governments and the UN. The Chinese government rejects accusations of forced labour, claiming Uyghur work programmes are for poverty alleviation. The university had previously described Murphy's work as 'groundbreaking'.
The instruction to halt research came six months after the university abandoned a planned report on Uyghur forced labour in critical minerals supply chains and returned funding to Global Rights Compliance (GRC), a non-profit law foundation. GRC eventually published the research in June.
In October, after threats of legal action from Murphy, the university lifted the ban and apologised. However, Murphy remains cautious, stating she is 'unclear at this point whether the university is prepared to be as supportive as it used to be'. The university denies the decision was based on commercial interests, though internal emails suggest commercial factors were considered.
The UK's updated higher education law places a greater burden on universities to protect free speech. The incident highlights the chilling effect of Chinese pressure on UK universities, with Sheffield Hallam facing a backlash in China and falling student numbers after Beijing criticised the HKC as a 'vanguard for anti-China forces'.
