US ambassador to Belgium claims he got Ghent academic reinstated after Jason Arday scandal

**U.S. Ambassador to Belgium Says He Helped Secure Reinstatement of Ghent University Scholar**

*Brussels, 28 August 2026* – U.S. Ambassador to Belgium Bill White announced on the social media platform X that an “amicable agreement” had been reached to reinstate Nathan Cofnas, a researcher at Ghent University, after his suspension earlier this year.

In a post dated 27 August, Ambassador White wrote: “I am – and the United States is – happy Nathan Cofnas is back to work doing what @ugent hired him to do.” The statement follows a series of diplomatic exchanges in which White previously warned that the United States might suspend all relations with Ghent University. He also accused the university of “scapegoating mob behavior” after the institution’s rector, Petra De Sutter, suspended Cofnas for his alleged role in events surrounding the death of Cambridge sociology professor Jason Arday.

Jason Arday, a professor at the University of Cambridge, died by suicide in early 2026 after a public controversy that involved Cofnas, who was then a visiting scholar at Ghent University. The controversy centered on Cofnas’s participation in a debate that critics said contributed to a hostile environment for Arday.

A Ghent University employee, who spoke to EUobserver on condition of anonymity, indicated that the internal investigation into Cofnas’s conduct remains ongoing. The employee added that the ambassador “did not have any real influence in lifting the suspension,” suggesting that the decision to allow Cofnas to resume his duties was made by the university’s own procedures.

The university has not released a formal statement regarding the reinstatement or the status of the investigation. No official comment has been provided by the U.S. Embassy in Belgium concerning the ambassador’s remarks.

Article and image source: euobserver.com