The document provides international and Inter-American standards to support the analysis of a case linking academic freedom, access to justice, and gender-based violence in the university context.
The Coalition for Academic Freedom in the Americas (CAFA), together with the Human Rights Clinic of the University of Ottawa and the University of Monterrey (UDEM), submitted an amicus curiae brief to the Constitutional Court of Colombia in the context of the constitutional protection action (tutela) filed by Professor María Luisa Rodríguez Peñaranda against the Office of the Attorney General of the Nation and other state entities.
The document, entitled “International Standards on Academic Freedom,” seeks to contribute to the Court’s analysis of Case No. T-10.639.278 by presenting standards developed by the Inter-American Human Rights System and international bodies concerning academic freedom, gender equality, and access to justice.
The amicus curiae argues that academic freedom is a fundamental human right and an essential condition for the functioning of democratic societies. It further highlights that this right is closely connected to the ability to teach, conduct research, learn, and participate in university life in environments free from discrimination, violence, and retaliation.
The submitting organizations contend that the absence of timely, diligent, and gender-sensitive investigations into allegations of violence against women within higher education institutions can directly undermine the exercise of academic freedom. In this regard, they emphasize that barriers to accessing justice affect not only the individuals concerned but also academic communities and the broader production of knowledge.
The document draws on the Inter-American Principles on Academic Freedom and University Autonomy adopted by the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR), as well as other international standards recognizing States’ obligations to ensure safe conditions for teaching, research, and academic participation.
For CAFA, this case represents an important opportunity to strengthen the protection of academic freedom across the Americas and to reaffirm that universities must be spaces where human rights, gender equality, democracy, and the production of knowledge grounded in scientific rigor are fully guaranteed.
Read the full document in Spanish version “Informe jurídico Estándares Internacionales sobre Libertad Académica | Acción de Tutela de María Luisa Rodríguez Peñaranda contra la Procuraduría General de la Nación y otros”.