Helyeh Doutaghi: Yale Law School sacks Iranian scholar over alleged terror links

Yale Law School has terminated the contract of Helyeh Doutaghi, a 30-year-old Iranian scholar and vocal critic of Israel, accusing her of failing to cooperate in a probe into her alleged ties to a group labelled a “sham charity” by the US government.

Doutaghi, who served as an associate research scholar and deputy director of the Law and Political Economy Project, was sacked on March 28 after weeks of declining to attend in-person interviews regarding her possible connection to the Samidoun Palestinian Prisoner Solidarity Network. The US and Canada designated Samidoun in October as a front for the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP), a recognised terrorist organisation.

The university pointed to a 2022 Samidoun website post identifying Doutaghi as a member, though she insists this pre-dates the group’s terror designation and denies any current involvement. Yale spokesperson Alden Ferro stated that Doutaghi repeatedly refused requests to meet with her lawyer present to address “serious allegations,” including whether she had engaged with entities on the US Specially Designated Nationals and Blocked Persons list. Her short-term role was already due to end this month, but her dismissal was immediate due to her alleged non-cooperation.

Doutaghi, appointed to her Yale position in October 2023, disputes the claims, arguing she offered multiple times to respond in writing—offers Yale rejected. She views her termination as retaliation for her outspoken stance against the Gaza war, accusing the university of bowing to pressure from the Trump administration to curb antisemitism on campuses. “The assertion that I ‘refused to cooperate’ is utterly false,” she said in an email, framing Yale’s actions as an attack on her free speech.

The controversy erupted after Yale placed her on administrative leave on March 4, following reports by The Jewish Onliner alleging her Samidoun ties. On March 12, Doutaghi took to X, decrying the accusations as “AI-fabricated” and a violation of her constitutional rights, academic freedom and due process. Her lawyer, Eric Lee, echoed this, claiming Yale was yielding to a Trump-led crackdown on campus dissent.

Yale’s investigation relied on “independently reviewed” materials, including the Samidoun post, but Doutaghi maintains no evidence links her to prohibited activities. Her academic work, rooted in Third World Approaches to International Law, critiques sanctions and political economy, according to her bio on the Palestine Center for Public Policy website. Before Yale, she taught social justice and human rights at Carleton University.

The sacking coincides with heightened American efforts to tackle antisemitism at Ivy League institutions, with the Trump administration vowing to “quell pro-Hamas intimidation” and investigate anti-Jewish bias. Several visa-holding students have filed lawsuits alleging First Amendment breaches. Yale, which faced anti-Israel protests and a graduation walkout last year, insists its decision was procedural, not political.

Middle East