On 27 May, the Executive Board established the Committee on Human Rights / Conflict Zones to investigate whether Leiden is collaborating with institutions that directly or indirectly violate human rights, support war or violate other important international norms.
 
If this is found to be the case, the committee will advise the Executive Board on what the implications are for the collaboration in question. The Executive Board will ultimately decide whether to continue or discontinue the collaboration.
 
The committee’s first task is to investigate Leiden University’s ties with Israeli institutions. The committee’s upcoming advice will be divided into two parts, the Executive Board writes in a statement on the university website. By mid-July at the latest, a report will be published on the possible continuation of student exchange agreements with Tel Aviv University and Hebrew University of Jerusalem. These programmes have been suspended since 2024.
 
When the advice on the other collaborations will be issued is not yet known. The Board speaks of ‘a later stage’. The committee will then look ‘at partnerships requiring formal approval from the Executive Board, not at individual collaborations’.
 
In addition to the two exchange programmes, thirteen partnerships are under investigation. The Board also states that, during the course of the investigation, Leiden will not enter into any new institutional collaborations with partners in Israel. ‘Existing collaborations will be prioritised in the investigation.’

The committee, chaired by Professor of Criminology Joanne van der Leun, welcomes input from the Leiden university community and invites all staff and students ‘to submit their views on these collaborations in writing’. However, the committee is working to ‘a tight schedule’, so ‘clear and concise input is greatly appreciated’.
 
The committee ‘will try to read and consider all submissions in its decision. Unfortunately, it will not be able to respond to each message individually, but all submissions are appreciated’.
 
Views can be submitted via a university email address to CommissieMensenrechten@bb.leidenuniv.nl until 1 July 2025 at the latest.
 
‘Submissions will be treated confidentially and no personally identifiable information will be included in the final advice. Please bear in mind that your submission may later be made public (with names and contact details removed).’
 
This week, Eindhoven University of Technology decided to suspend its ties with the Israeli university Technion. The university will also set up a committee to investigate other ongoing collaborations.
 
Earlier this month, Erasmus University Rotterdam decided to suspend its partnerships with three universities. The University of Amsterdam, Radboud University Nijmegen and Tilburg University have also taken similar steps.