An open letter has been submitted to the University chancellor, calling on the University Council to reconsider a recent nominee for an honorary doctorate over his links to the expulsion of a student activist.

The 45 signatories, who are all from Hong Kong but now live in the UK, express concern about the nomination of Professor Dennis Yuk-ming Lo, the current vice-chancellor and president of the Chinese University of Hong Kong (CUHK), for an honorary doctorate in medical science. In January, CUHK expelled a student, Miles Kwan, who had recently been arrested on suspicion of “seditious intent”, after he handed out flyers calling for an independent investigation into a deadly fire at a high-rise residential block last November.

Kwan was detained for two nights before being released on bail – CUHK then referred him to a student disciplinary committee, before he was expelled for misconduct. According to Kwan, he was not expelled for his arrest, but because he described the committee as a “kangaroo panel”, and for being charged with criminal damage in 2023, for putting stickers on lampposts in 2022 to mark the anniversary of the Tiananmen Square crackdown.

The letter states: “While we hold the University of Cambridge in the highest esteem for its historic commitment to academic freedom, we believe this specific nomination at this juncture presents a serious ethical and reputational dilemma.”

It continues: “While his scientific achievements are remarkable, his recent administrative leadership has been marked by a deeply controversial decision regarding a student, Mr. Miles Kwan”.

It describes the decision by CUHK to expel Kwan as “a departure from the university’s role as a sanctuary for constructive civic engagement and the protection of student welfare”, and says that to proceed with awarding Lo an honorary doctorate “carries the risk of damaging the University’s reputation among the international academic community and the significant Hong Kong diaspora within the United Kingdom.”

The letter draws parallels between the high-rise fire and the 2017 Grenfell Tower fire, in which 72 people were killed after the cladding on a high-rise residential block caught fire. It requests that the University Council reviews the nomination, before the grace to award the honorary degree is submitted to Regent House. However, the grace has since been passed, and Professor Lo is due to be granted the honorary doctorate, alongside eight others, in a ceremony in June.

A representative for the group, Dr. Sammy Chiu, who previously served as a professor at CUHK, told Varsity: “I believe it is our duty as educators to protect academic freedom and support those who no longer have a platform to speak for themselves.

“…Many of us signed this letter because we feel a profound responsibility toward our students and younger colleagues. We want to ensure that those currently in the academic system, both in the UK and in Hong Kong, can pursue truth without fear of repercussion or censorship.

He continued: “By nominating Professor Dennis Yuk-ming Lo for an honorary degree at this juncture, the University risks signaling indifference to the broader political climate in which its partners operate. My hope is that the Cambridge University Council will hear our concerns and reconsider this nomination”.

Kwan was advocating for an investigation into a fire at the Wang Fuk Court housing estate in Hong Kong in November, in which 168 people died, making it the deadliest residential building fire in the world since 1980. A petition started by Kwan in the aftermath of the disaster called for an independent investigation into the circumstances, for government officials to be held accountable, and for residents to be appropriately resettled. It garnered more than 10,000 signatures, before being deleted in the aftermath of Kwan’s arrest.

A former district councillor, along with a volunteer, was arrested, also for sedition, the day after Kwan, for distributing supplies to victims of the fire.

A petition calling for Kwan’s reinstatement to the university, along with an acknowledgment that the disciplinary hearing breached due process, has now received over 1000 signatures from students, staff, and alumni of CUHK.

The University of Cambridge was contacted for comment.