Student allegedly jailed in China for six years after taking part in pro-democracy protests in Australia

She also said governments needed to take a stronger stance in leading universities to protect international students from political repression over their participation in pro-democracy activities.

“If you leave it for the universities to deal with that, they really do not have capacity, because we’re talking about a higher education institution. They really need the money brought by international students. They are already very cash-strapped,” she said.

“The existing university framework is generally focused on, let’s say research integrity, informed consent, but there’s rarely ever a human rights concern, which is a very big blind spot.”

In 2021, a report by Human Rights Watch revealed Chinese pro-democracy students faced intimidation and harassment and fear of reprisal.

In September, the Guardian reported that 22-year-old Chinese student Yadi Zhang was detained in China allegedly over her involvement in activism for Tibet.

The former chief executive of Universities Australia, Catriona Jackson, said at the time that universities were considering best-practice examples from overseas to counter foreign government-linked harassment against students.

Universities Australia has declined to comment on the case.

In 2019, the federal government introduced guidelines to counter foreign interference in universities as well as a taskforce focused on the issue.

The guidelines ask universities to provide training to staff and students who engage in foreign collaboration or partnership activities on the risks of foreign interference. However, they do not provide guidance on what universities should do to support international students who face political repressions at home for participating in pro-democracy events that are legal in Australia.

Both the university foreign interference taskforce and the Department of Education refused to comment on whether the guidelines would be updated to cover political repression against students.

The shadow home affairs and immigration minister, Jonno Duniam, said the case of the missing student was “deeply concerning”, and said universities have “a clear responsibility to ensure all students can speak freely without intimidation”.

“The Albanese government and universities must have strong safeguards against foreign interference and ensure robust protections for students exercising free speech. This includes clear reporting mechanisms and consequences for intimidation or coercion,” he said.

In a statement, a Department of Home Affairs spokesperson said it won’t comment on individual cases for privacy reasons, but “it is unacceptable for any foreign government to target members of our community in ways that prevent individuals exercising their fundamental rights and freedoms in Australia”.

The Chinese embassy in Canberra said it was not aware of the case.