U.S. Ambassador to Belgium Bill White condemned Ghent University on Friday over its decision to suspend researcher Nathan Cofnas after he publicly accused Cambridge professor Jason Arday of plagiarism.
White said on X that the university’s decision to investigate Cofnas amounted to “retaliation against an American scholar following his accurate whistleblower reporting on academic fraud.”
The ambassador also announced that the United States was taking another look at its connections with the Belgian university.
“We are therefore reviewing any relationships we have with Ghent University,” White wrote.
“Dishonest, corrupt institutions that engage in, or reward, scapegoating mob behavior are not desirable partners for us,” he added.
The dispute centers on allegations made by Cofnas against Arday, who made headlines in 2023 when Cambridge University celebrated him as the youngest Black professor in the institution’s history.
Three years later, Arday was publicly accused of plagiarizing academic work. Arday denied the accusations. He was found dead Aug. 14 at his home in South London.
Cofnas, a former Cambridge researcher, had previously left the university after comments he made about diversity programs and minorities triggered widespread protests.
In a July 21 article, Cofnas said he had uncovered evidence that Arday plagiarized portions of his academic work.
“Many passages are lifted with minimal editing, sometimes retaining copy-editing mistakes from the original source,” Cofnas wrote about Arday’s 2015 dissertation.
Cofnas also pointed to concerns previously raised by retired Plymouth Marjon University professor Dave Harris regarding allegations that Arday had plagiarized subsequent academic articles. Those concerns resulted in two academic journals issuing corrections.
Ghent University announced Thursday that an unidentified staff member had been placed under a “preliminary disciplinary investigation” and suspended as a precaution.
The university declined to provide additional details about the case, saying confidentiality surrounding the employee’s personnel file and disciplinary proceedings needed to be protected.
Cofnas subsequently identified himself as the staff member involved, saying Thursday on social media that Ghent University was investigating him “for discriminating against Arday.”
Ghent University Rector Petra De Sutter and Vice Rector Herwig Reynaert also released a statement Thursday addressing Arday’s death and the institution’s position on academic debate.
“Ghent University stands for respect for human dignity and opposes discrimination, hatred and racism,” they said.
The university officials said they place significant importance on academic freedom and allowing open debate, including when the views being expressed are controversial.
However, De Sutter and Reynaert added a qualification to that position.
“We attach great importance to academic freedom and to open academic debate, even when views are controversial. However, that freedom is not unlimited,” they said.
White’s intervention now puts additional scrutiny on the university’s handling of Cofnas, with the U.S. ambassador saying relationships with the institution are under review.
Ghent University did not immediately respond to The Hill’s request for comment.
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