Kevin Rudd has accused the University of Queensland of “bending the knee” to China after a student was suspended over his campus activism against the Chinese government.

Last week, the university handed student activist Drew Pavlou a two-year suspension after he was alleged to have breached UQ’s student charter and integrity and harassment policies.

The allegations, outlined in a confidential 186-page document, were reportedly linked to his on-campus activism supporting Hong Kong and criticising the Chinese Communist Party.

The 20-year-old philosophy student also organised a rally at the university’s Brisbane campus that ended in a physical clash between pro-Hong Kong and pro-China students  in July last year.

Rudd said he was becoming “increasingly concerned” at Chancellor Peter Varghese’s “mismanagement” of the Pavlou case.

“Varghese has allowed this case to escalate into a major debate around the world as to whether the university stands for academic freedom or not. It should have been nipped in the bud much earlier,” the former prime minister told Brisbane Times.

“Varghese has boasted he has the experience to handle the complexity of the university’s China relationship given his background as a senior Australian diplomat.

“Instead, the university is now seen around Australia and the world as bending the knee to Beijing, rather than just dealing with a badly behaved undergraduate.

“It’s time for Varghese to act now to restore Drew Pavlou’s right to complete his degree –  while requiring Pavlou to adhere to the same social media protocols as the rest of us.”

Rudd said although Pavlou had been a regular critic of his, UQ’s response to the student’s case was “excessive”.

“Effectively terminating a young man’s academic career is completely disproportionate,” he said.

“Drew Pavlou is hardly the first brash young activist to protest against their university.”

In a statement, Varghese said he was concerned about the “severity of the penalty” against Pavlou and would discuss the issue in a meeting with UQ’s senate this week.

UQ has faced scrutiny for its ties with the Chinese government, which has co-funded four courses offered at the university.

About 20 per cent of UQ’s revenue comes from Chinese students, the ABC reported.

A petition in support of Pavlou has been signed by nearly 40,000 people.