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A French student from the University of Amsterdam has recently came out of her silence, revealing in an account relayed by Dutch media that her university professor would have reportedly sexually harassed her. The professor in question is believed to be Moroccan writer Fouad Laroui, whose name has been mentioned in similar accounts from other students at the Faculty of Human sciences.
In an article by NRC, the French student revealed that the events would have taken place in early 2017. At the time, the professor and member of special commission for Morocco's new development model was going through rough times. He was reportedly depressed and forced to stay home. After a courtesy visit to her professor, the student said that she was sexually assaulted.
A few months later, the student, according to her own account, went back to the university and filed an official complaint on August 29, 2017. She requested that the professor be suspended and that he no longer have contact with her.
Despite holding a hearing at the university council, Fouad Laroui was not suspended. The professor defended himself, rejecting the accusations and claiming that he had a paternal relationship with his students.
According to NRC, he would have provided documents to the complaints committee to support his version, explaining that the student's visit to his home was at her own request and that he was undergoing treatment at the time.
After almost a year of procedure within the university, the latter recognized the alleged transgressive behavior of the professor, taking note of the suspicions around the repetitive nature of this attitude and recommending an internal investigation involving other students, who have not been interviewed yet.
For its part, the committee noted that it is not in a position to define what actually happened between the main plaintiff and the professor on that day. Eventually, the student in question decided to transfer to another university and Fouad Laroui resumed his lessons.
The University of Amsterdam wants to reopen the file
But later, NRC has learned that Fouad Laroui has not provided lectures since the end of November 2020, for personal reasons. Furthermore, no administrative measure indicates any link between this absence and the accusations against him.
Contacted by Moroccan newspaper Le Desk, Fouad Laroui said for his part that, after the publication of the articles in question, the university had decided to «reopen the case». «In the meantime, I'm being asked to work from home, which doesn't change anything because I don't have any more classes until the beginning of February. I am therefore not suspended», he said.
Laroui rejected all accusations, but conceded having showed «inappropriate behavior». He dismisses the alleged sexual nature of said behavior, and explains that «it was obviously an error», but that it did not involve neither rape nor any other form of violence.
Fouad Laroui seemed embarrassed by NRC articles on the topic, in particular an Arabic translation «ostensibly» shared on social media. He believes it may be linked to personal conflicts with one of his colleagues at the university.
