Letter to Yale University regarding the termination of Dr. Helyeh Doutaghi

Susan Sawyer

Senior Associate General Counsel

Yale University

susan.sawyer@yale.edu

 

Dear Ms. Sawyer:

 

We write on behalf of the Middle East Studies Association of North America (MESA) and its Committee on Academic Freedom to express our concern about the termination of Dr. Helyeh Doutaghi, deputy director of Yale University’s Law and Political Economy Project and associate research scholar at Yale Law School, in the wake of allegations made on an obscure website whose founders and contributors are anonymous. Yale’s conduct in this matter raises serious concerns about the university’s responsibility to uphold and defend freedom of speech and association, as well as due process, when its faculty, staff or students are subjected to attack.

 

MESA was founded in 1966 to promote scholarship and teaching on the Middle East and North Africa. The preeminent organization in the field, the Association publishes the prestigious International Journal of Middle East Studies and has nearly 2,800 members worldwide. MESA is committed to ensuring academic freedom and freedom of expression both within the region and in connection with the study of the region in North America and outside of North America. 

 

On 2 March 2025, a website called Jewish Onliner, which describes itself as “empowered by AI capabilities,” published an article accusing Dr. Doutaghi of, among other things, having been a member of a group on a US terrorism sanctions list. We note that in January 2025 the Israeli newspaper Haaretz published an investigation which found that “an automated social media profile developed to harness the powers of artificial intelligence to promote Israel’s cause online is also pushing out blatantly false information” and described Jewish Onliner as a related “AI-driven pro-Israel initiative.”

 

On the afternoon of 4 March 2025, you emailed Eric Lee, Dr. Doutaghi’s attorney, informing him that Yale had retained outside counsel to investigate the allegations in the Jewish Onliner article. Shortly thereafter, David A. Ring of Wiggin and Dana, the designated outside counsel, emailed Mr. Lee and requested a meeting that same day. In the telephone conversation that ensued late that afternoon, Mr. Lee requested that a meeting with Dr. Doutaghi be scheduled for the following day. Shortly thereafter, Dr. Doutaghi received an email from you stating that she had been placed on administrative leave; she was immediately banned from campus and lost access to her university email. 

 

We note that there appears to be legitimate concern about possible conflict of interest in Mr. Ring’s service as outside counsel in this case. According to its website, his law firm has an “Israel practice” that operates in the defense and aerospace sectors, among others, and he himself worked for the Justice Department for many years, including on national security cases, and is described as “provid[ing] counsel to some of the world’s largest aerospace and defense companies.” Mr. Lee informed Yale that his client was willing to answer questions in writing from Yale but not from the outside counsel; Yale demanded a live interview with outside counsel. On 28 March 2025, Yale Law School terminated Dr. Doutaghi’s employment because of her alleged refusal to cooperate with its investigation.

 

Targeting university faculty, staff or students by means of allegations apparently generated and/or disseminated anonymously by an AI bot constitutes a dangerous escalation in the campaign being waged by groups based outside of academia seeking to silence criticism of Israel on college and university campuses. In these circumstances, institutions of higher education have a heightened responsibility to make sure that their actions in response to such allegations are measured, fully protect First Amendment rights to freedom of speech and association, and comply with accepted norms of due process. Universities must also take into account the potentially dangerous consequences which their actions may entail, including with regard to immigration status. 

 

We call your attention to the statement issued on 24 October 2023 by the American Association of University Professors, which reads in part:

 

It is in tumultuous times that colleges’ and universities’ stated commitments to protect academic freedom are most put to the test. As the Israel-Hamas war rages and campus protests proliferate, institutional authorities must refrain from sanctioning faculty members for expressing politically controversial views and should instead defend their right, under principles of academic freedom, to do so.

 

We believe that no one should lose their job or be denied employment solely because of expressive or associational activity protected by the First Amendment. We therefore call on Yale University to act in accordance with its avowed commitment to respect and uphold the right to free speech and association and the principles of academic freedom, and in conformity with its own policies, applicable laws and the right to due process.

 

We look forward to your response.

 

Sincerely,

 

Jeffrey D. Reger

MESA Executive Director

 

Laurie A. Brand
Chair, Committee on Academic Freedom
Professor Emerita, University of Southern California

 

cc: 

 

Maurie McInnis

President, Yale University

president@yale.edu

 

Heather K. Gerken

Dean, Yale Law School

heather.k.gerken@yale.edu