Ghent: Ghent University has rejected criticism that it is restricting academic freedom by suspending American researcher Nathan Cofnas, who publicly accused the late Cambridge professor Jason Arday of plagiarism, Belgian news agency Belga reported Wednesday. Ghent University Rector Petra De Sutter expressed her full support for academic freedom while rejecting claims that the disciplinary procedure against Cofnas was aimed at limiting it.
According to Anadolu Agency, De Sutter stated, "I support academic freedom 100 percent," and emphasized that the allegations of the university restricting academic freedom were unfounded. She added that those making such claims were not familiar with the contents of the disciplinary case file. The university suspended Cofnas on August 20 as a precaution pending a preliminary disciplinary investigation.
De Sutter explained that the university had disclosed limited information about the case to comply with legal requirements, internal procedures, and the confidentiality of personnel files. "I know this is a weak point and that people do not understand it," she noted, while emphasizing that the public debate's arguments did not address the substance of the matter.
More than 800 academics have signed an open letter criticizing the disciplinary proceedings against Cofnas, suggesting they could amount to retaliation for publicly raising allegations of academic misconduct at British universities. The signatories urged Ghent University to protect Cofnas from being punished for exercising his academic freedom.
Meanwhile, a separate open letter supporting Cofnas's suspension has garnered over 1,700 signatures in less than 20 hours, as reported by Belga. Nearly half of these signatories are from Belgian universities. The letter, initiated by Ghent University staff members, does not represent an official position of the university. Its signatories support the disciplinary investigation and reject the portrayal of Cofnas as a whistleblower being punished for his actions. They also mentioned statements about race on Cofnas's blog, which they argued violate the university's code of ethics.
Cofnas, who describes himself as a "race realist," accused Arday of plagiarism before Arday resigned from his Cambridge post earlier this month. Arday was found dead at his home in London on August 14. Cofnas previously held a research fellowship at Cambridge but lost his research associate role in 2024 after publishing a controversial blog post. The post argued that Black people have lower average intelligence than white people and that there would be "close to zero" Black professors at Harvard in a meritocracy.
Arday, who became Cambridge's youngest Black professor in 2023, resigned on August 5 amid scrutiny over plagiarism allegations and questions surrounding his academic record. Cambridge later announced an investigation into the circumstances of his appointment. Police stated that his death was unexpected but not considered suspicious.