The Center for Constitutional Rights has been providing legal counsel to Professor Steven Salaita who returned a signed contract to teach in the American Indian Studies Program at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. Tomorrow this intrepid organization is announcing a press call to inform the public of a “new development” in the Salaita summary dismissal case. I presume it is significant. I am unaware of any prior C.C.R. press call, and was notified by e-mail which I am reproducing below.
Supporters of Dr. Salaita I am sure join me in hoping that this apparently significant development will advance the cause of academic freedom, free speech and human rights. To fire an American for expressing provocative views on the Gaza bombardment in the Middle East cauldron is an execrable display of viewpoint cleansing and censorship that contravenes numerous A.A.U.P. guidelines and reports that were carefully constructed since its founding a century ago.
CONTACT:
Jen Nessel, CCR, (212) 614-6463, press@ccrjustice.org
***MEDIA ADVISORY***
Prof. Fired Over Gaza Tweets and Attorneys Hold Press Call Tomorrow
Chicago and New York – On Thursday, January 29, at 11am Central/ 12pm Eastern, Professor Steven Salaita and his attorneys at the Center for Constitutional Rights (CCR) and Loevy & Loevy will host a press call with reporters to discuss a new development in his case. Prof. Salaita was terminated from a tenured faculty position at the University of Illinois at Urbana–Champaign (UIUC) in August over personal tweets about Israel’s bombardment of Gaza. For more information, see CCR’s page: http://www.ccrjustice.org/Salaita
What:
Press call to discuss new development in Salaita case.
Who:
Professor Steven Salaita
Maria LaHood, senior staff attorney at the Center for Constitutional Rights
Anand Swaminathan, attorney with Loevy & Loevy in Chicago
When: Thursday, January 29, 2015, 11am CST/ 12pm EST
Call info:
Toll-Free Access Number: 1.800.868.1837
Direct Dial/ International Access Number: 1.404.920.6440
Conference ID: 868895#
The Center for Constitutional Rights is dedicated to advancing and protecting the rights guaranteed by the United States Constitution and the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. Founded in 1966 by attorneys who represented civil rights movements in the South, CCR is a non-profit legal and educational organization committed to the creative use of law as a positive force for social change. Visit www.ccrjustice.org; follow @theCCR.
