JAN 7, 2023 — 

Groningen, 7 January, 2023

Dear friends and supporters of Joost Herman,

Three years ago, you co-signed the petition to the Board of the University of Groningen in support of a fair and decent treatment of professor Joost Herman. And many of you supported our financial campaign to collect money for the legal costs for Joost to defend himself (see below[1]).

This message is to inform you that Joost managed to survive the past years of ruthless and heartless treatment by the University of Groningen and arrived just a few days ago in Ningbo, China, to take up a full professorship in International Studies at the University of Nottingham Ningbo China. The enormous support he received from friends and (former) colleagues certainly helped him, Elena and the children to remain on their feet and finally make this jump into a new career.

The years of struggle for rehabilitation started with an unhappy defeat when the court decided that his dismissal from the University of Groningen was justified, although compensation was awarded to Joost. But there were two other cases brought against him. First, a civil law suit claiming several millions of euro from him (this financial claim led, a.o. to the legal seizure of Joost and Elena’s family house in Kropswolde). Second, a case under criminal law initiated by the University of Groningen by filing accusations of ‘fraud’ at the Dutch Public Prosecution Office(Openbaar Ministerie). Naturally, these ruthless actions by a financially powerful institution caused Joost and his family enormous distress.

In addition to these intimidating threats to his family’s existence, Joost had to cope with an almost continuous sequence of incidents and harassments. Just two examples: the university appealed various times against decisions of authorities to extend his allowance (e.g health allowance); during the (legally required) trajectory of reintegration of professor Joost at the university, academic functions were not proposed, but jobs at facility management level were. 

Meanwhile, the EU accountants’ check of the NOHA finances concluded that all EU funds were properly spent, so the case for the university to prove fraud and claim high sums from the family Herman became even weaker. Still, after the university management finally agreed to conclude a ‘settlement’ outside the court room, it took more than one and a half nerve-wrecking years for Joost before such a settlement  was finally agreed upon. The RUG then informed the Public Prosecution Office (Openbaar Ministerie) that it dropped its fraud accusation (Note: neither the University Council, nor the university newspaper, nor other media were informed so as to rehabilitate Joost damaged reputation).

For Joost, still struggling to regain his health, and his family a new life could finally start, and the professorship at Nottingham Ningbo resulted. The support and actions of friends and colleagues, the many contributors to the fund-raising action for Joost’s legal costs, and the great solidarity shown by Theo de Jong and Nynke Hof at the HS26 Advocaten and the work of Kootstra & Rijpkema all contributed.

On behalf of the Support Group Joost Herman,

Pieter Boele van Hensbroek and Jacques Zeelen

 
[1] The financial campaign led in a short time to the impressive amount of 14.515 Euro. All that money was used to pay (a part of) the legal costs.