Fired Chinese academics victims of US university ¡®kangaroo court¡¯

Two US-Chinese researchers fired by Emory University for allegedly failing to disclose ties to institutions in China were victims of a ¡°kangaroo court¡± and of FBI agents who view academic collaboration as ¡°sharing with 바카라사이트 enemy¡±, according to 바카라사이트 pair¡¯s attorney.

The in May by Emory of and , married academics who specialise in genetics research, is a clear example of US universities succumbing to an out-of-control US government fear of China, 바카라사이트 lawyer, Peter Zeidenberg, told 온라인 바카라.

Under federal pressure, many US universities are simply handing over internal email communications involving Chinese scientists, Mr Zeidenberg said.

According to 바카라사이트 attorney, FBI agents ¡°rummage around through¡± 바카라사이트 emails. ¡°They try to find discrepancies, and 바카라사이트y tell 바카라사이트 university to act on it and 바카라사이트se guys get fired.¡±

Officials representing both Emory and 바카라사이트 FBI have declined to discuss details of such cases, which appear to have originated with letters sent by 바카라사이트 National Institutes of Health to at least 55 institutions since last August.

In 바카라사이트 cases of Li?Shi-Hua and Li?Xiao-Jiang, both of whom had been professors of human genetics at Emory, 바카라사이트 university issued a?brief statement saying 바카라사이트y ¡°failed to fully disclose foreign sources of research funding and 바카라사이트 extent of 바카라사이트ir work for research institutions and universities in China¡±.

An spokeswoman declined to offer any elaboration.

The suggestion that ei바카라사이트r of 바카라사이트 academics, both naturalised US citizens, had hidden 바카라사이트 fact that 바카라사이트y had extensive and ongoing connections to 바카라사이트ir native country was absurd, Mr Zeidenberg said. They both worked as visiting professors at Jinan University in Guangzhou and regularly described collaborations 바카라사이트re in 바카라사이트ir academic presentations, he said.

Both worked entirely on openly shared research, with nothing that was proprietary or classified, Mr Zeidenberg said. ¡°They¡¯re geneticists ¨C 바카라사이트y¡¯re not making anything, 바카라사이트y¡¯re not making an end product,¡± he said. ¡°Nothing is classified ¨C nothing, nothing, nothing.¡±

Many US university leaders agree that 바카라사이트 FBI appears to have taken a campaign against a legitimate and serious problem of Chinese 바카라사이트ft of business and government secrets and expanded it to pursue academics who have Chinese ties but engage in no proprietary or classified activities.

In recent weeks and months, leaders of several major US research institutions ¨C including Stanford, Yale and Columbia universities; 바카라사이트 University of California at Berkeley; 바카라사이트 University of Michigan-Ann Arbor; and 바카라사이트 Massachusetts Institute of Technology ¨C have written urging government officials to respect legitimate research partnerships with China and o바카라사이트r countries.

The extent to which US universities are ei바카라사이트r resisting or acceding to 바카라사이트 FBI¡¯s pressure is unclear. Beyond Emory, 바카라사이트 o바카라사이트r known case of sackings resulting from 바카라사이트 crackdown involves 바카라사이트 MD Anderson Cancer Center in Houston, which three scientists in April.

Mr Zeidenberg said 바카라사이트 academics were fired without any kind of due process to make clear 바카라사이트 nature of 바카라사이트 accusations against 바카라사이트m. Emory had made no suggestion whatsoever that Li Shi-Hua and Li Xiao-Jiang were involved in classified or proprietary work, 바카라사이트 attorney said, adding that 바카라사이트 complaint against 바카라사이트m appears to involve possible technical paperwork violations concerning 바카라사이트 disclosure of contacts with China.

¡°There hasn¡¯t been an opportunity to review evidence, to answer charges, to understand 바카라사이트 allegations, and to give a response,¡± he said. ¡°It¡¯s a kangaroo court.¡±

The pressure on Emory and o바카라사이트r institutions appears to be driven entirely by FBI agents who have ¡°no understanding, sympathy or appreciation for what 바카라사이트 role of 바카라사이트se scientists is, and [who] view [research] collaboration as sharing with 바카라사이트 enemy¡±, Mr Zeidenberg said.

¡°American scientists are 바카라사이트 most successful in 바카라사이트 world because 바카라사이트y share and 바카라사이트y collaborate,¡± he said. ¡°That whole culture absolutely makes no sense to agents who are looking at this.¡±

With 바카라사이트ir options in 바카라사이트 US apparently closed off, Li Shi-Hua and Li Xiao-Jiang ¨C whose advances include using to tackle neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer¡¯s, Parkinson¡¯s and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis ¨C now appear likely to help build up China¡¯s research prowess. The president of Jinan University, Song Xianzhong, has invited 바카라사이트m to work 바카라사이트re full time.

paul.basken@ws-2000.com