US Ambassador Criticizes Ghent University for Suspending Arday Accuser

US Ambassador to Belgium Bill White criticized Ghent University's decision to suspend researcher Nathan Cofnas on Friday.

Cofnas was suspended pending an investigation following the death of Jason Arday, a Cambridge professor. White stated on social platform X that the university's decision was retaliation against an American scholar following his accurate whistleblower actions. Ghent University announced Thursday it suspended a postdoctoral researcher as a precautionary measure while investigating whether disciplinary action is warranted.

Cofnas identified himself as the suspended researcher and stated he expects the university to fire him. The university's statement, which did not name Cofnas, said the investigation concerns recent public statements by a postdoctoral researcher about Arday. Arday was found dead in his London home last week after resigning from Cambridge amid an investigation into plagiarism allegations against his academic record.

Ghent University Rector Petra De Sutter and Vice-Rector Herwig Reynaert stated the university stands for respect for human dignity and opposes discrimination, hatred, and racism. They added that while they value academic freedom, that freedom is not unlimited. Cofnas first published his allegations against Arday on July 21 in a Substack article titled "DEI Fraud and Cover-Up at Cambridge."

Using plagiarism-detection software, Cofnas identified extensive similarities between portions of Arday's doctoral thesis and an earlier thesis by another academic. Cofnas argues he is being punished for reporting facts that powerful academic institutions failed to confront. He wrote in a Wall Street Journal op-ed that "The lesson can't be that it's unacceptable to point out wrongdoing that implicates powerful public figures."

Washington is reviewing any relationships we have with Ghent University, according to Ambassador White. Arday's family stated that weeks of news coverage of his life and career, including comment from international news organizations and social media, had a catastrophic impact on his life. Some politicians and pressure groups have called for a public inquiry into the press's actions in reporting on Arday.