YLS places research scholar on “immediate administrative leave” over alleged ties to terrorist organization
Yale Law School placed Helyeh Doutaghi on administrative leave following reports of her alleged connection to the Samidoun Network, a pro-Palestinian group designated as a terrorist organization in the US and Canada.
Christina Lee, Photography Editor
On Tuesday, Yale Law School placed Helyeh Doutaghi — an associate research scholar at the Law School — on “immediate administrative leave” following allegations that she was a part of a designated terrorist organization.
The Jewish Onliner first reported the allegations on Sunday, claiming that Doutaghi is a member of the international Samidoun network, or Samidoun Palestinian Prisoner Solidarity Network. The U.S Department of the Treasury identified Samidoun as a terrorist group and “sham charity” that is a fundraising front for the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine terrorist organization. The Canadian government also listed Samidoun under its listed terrorist entities on Oct. 11, 2024.
The Jewish Onliner linked an article from Samidoun that mentions Doutaghi as a speaker at a film screening in July 2022, held by the organization in Tehran, Iran. The article describes Doutaghi as a doctoral student of international law and a member of the international Samidoun Network.
The Jewish Onliner also alleged that Doutaghi has connections to the Iranian state-owned news outlet, Press TV, which has been sanctioned by the U.S. Government.
“We take these allegations extremely seriously and immediately opened an investigation into the matter to ascertain the facts,” the Law School spokesperson wrote to the News.
The News was unable to independently verify the validity of the allegations, and the Law School declined to comment further on their investigative process.
At Yale Law School, Doutaghi has worked as an associate research scholar and a deputy director of the Law and Political Economy Project since September 2023. Before serving as an associate research scholar at Yale, Doutaghi taught topics including social justice and international human rights at Carleton University.
The Law School spokesperson said that Doutaghi’s “short-term” position would expire next month.
“Until then, she has been placed on an immediate administrative leave pending the outcome of this investigation,” the spokesperson wrote.
On Tuesday evening, Doutaghi’s official profile on the Law School’s website was taken down. The Law School spokesperson confirmed the profile page was taken down as a result of putting Doutaghi on administrative leave.
The News could not reach Doutaghi for comment. As of Tuesday, her LinkedIn page was no longer available.
Yale Law School was founded in 1824.
