Boaventura de Souza Santos called the sexual harassment complaint a “shameful and vile defamation”.

Boaventura de Souza Santos, honorary director of the Center for Social Studies (CES) of the University of Coimbra, has already responded to the sexual harassment controversy by saying that he has been the victim of “anonymous, shameful and vile defamation by three authors.” “.

“First I want to state that all cases of incorrect behavior referred to in the text, by anyone, if confirmed, are subject to immediate consideration by both the CoES and the judiciary and, since I was the director of CES at that time time, I institutionally take responsibility for any negligence that may have occurred,” he said in a statement.

Boaventura claims that he never had meetings with the two authors, Miye Thom and Catarina Laranjeiro, but with Liselotte Viene he had two meetings: “one as her Marie Curie internship supervisor when she arrived at CES and the other as Strategic Director of CES, at the request of the Executive Director, to try to address the problems of incorrect and unruly behavior from the institutional point of view of this researcher. According to him, the woman was expelled from CES.

The Director Emeritus adds that the article “regarding its main author, Liselotte Viene, is a pathetic act of institutional and personal revenge” and that the information is based on “rumors” and that there is no proof.

“What kind of science is it that allows you to denigrate and slander a prestigious institution, and specifically a researcher who has been its director for so many years?” asks Boaventura.

The director emeritus maintains that he will calmly confront any alleged victim who has a clear conscience, and that regardless of the legal procedures adopted by CES, he will initiate criminal proceedings against the authors for defamation.