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If you have submitted a Freedom of Information Request or Subject Access
Request, please accept this as acknowledgement of your request.   

All other enquiries will be responded to in due course. 

Yours sincerely 

Information Governance Unit  

University Secretary’s Office 

The Palatine Centre
Stockton Road
Durham
DH1 3LE 

w: [1]https://www.dur.ac.uk/university.secreta...

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Dear Flo Marks

Thank you for your request for information from Durham University.
Colleagues have provided the information below/attached in response to
your questions.

Could you confirm whether your university has any formal guidelines for
ensuring the safety of students from surveillance or coercion from those
acting on behalf of foreign governments (for example, safety from
surveillance, blackmail, forced pledges of loyalty and being reported on
by fellow students)? If so, please provide access to this document.

Information not held

We are especially interested in two particular examples of transnational
repression of Chinese students that have been reported on in the media:

1) Has your organisation evaluated the possible risk posed by Chinese
Student and Scholar Associations given evidence that they have surveilled
other students, organised counter protestors and acted upon orders from
the Chinese Embassy?

Examples:

[1]https://www.hrw.org/report/2021/06/30/th...

[2]https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2019...

No

2) Are you aware of how many international students are receiving funding
from the Chinese Scholarship Council stream? The CSC is part of the
Chinese education ministry and organises foreign exchange programmes and
international studies for Chinese students.

Yes

Have you investigated the possible risk posed to students involved with
this programme given recent evidence that agreements students sign include
pledges of loyalty to the party state and threaten students’ parents with
debt if they fail to complete their studies?

Details:
[3]https://thepienews.com/news/chinese-stud...

No

Has your institution ever had to deal with a case where a student was put
at risk of transnational repression and can you provide details of how
your institution dealt with this situation? Feel free to keep the identity
of the student anonymous.

No

If you are dissatisfied with the University’s response to your freedom of
information request, you can ask us to internally review our handling of
your request, including the application of any exemptions applied. This
must be within 40 working days from the date of our response to you.

To do this, please email [4][Durham University request email].

Please state the grounds on which you wish the decision to be reviewed and
enclose any other information that may be useful in considering the matter
further. We aim to inform you of our decision within 20 working days from
the date your request for internal review is received.

If you are not satisfied with the results of the internal review you may
apply to the Information Commissioner's Office for an independent review.

Information Commissioner's Office

Wycliffe House

Water Lane

Wilmslow

Cheshire

SK9 5AF

[5]www.ico.org.uk

Yours sincerely

Information Governance Unit

Durham University

──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────

Information Governance Unit, University Secretary’s Office

e: [6][Durham University request email]

──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────

CONFIDENTIALITY NOTICE:
This message is intended solely for the addressee(s) in the first instance
and may contain confidential information. If you are not the intended
recipient, please notify the sender, delete the message from your system
immediately and do not disclose the contents to any other party.

References

Visible links
1. https://www.hrw.org/report/2021/06/30/th...
2. https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2019...
3. https://thepienews.com/news/chinese-stud...
4. mailto:[Durham University request email]
5. http://www.ico.org.uk/
6. mailto:[Durham University request email]