Former Harvard Affiliate Files Lawsuit Against University and Two Professors

A former Harvard postdoctoral fellow filed a lawsuit Tuesday against the University and two of its professors for defamation of character.

Kaveh L. Afrasiabi named Harvard University, Professor of the History of Religion and Islamic Studies William A. Graham and Gurney Professor of History Roy P. Mottahedeh--who are both affiliated with the Center for Middle Eastern Studies (CMES)--as defendants.

Citing two letters written to The Harvard Crimson as partial evidence, he is seeking damages for statements made by the professors prior to and following his January arrest and incarceration for suspected extortion. The charges against Afrasiabi were eventually dropped last May.

"This lawsuit is only act one of my efforts toward redemption," Afrasiabi said yesterday. "I have a much larger lawsuit pending against the people involved in those frivolous charges."

Afrasiabi said in the interview that he intends to sue the Harvard University Police Department for what he describes as his "false arrest," as well as several other yetunnamed individuals.

In his current lawsuit, Afrasiabi charges that Graham and Mottahedeh's letters to The Crimson wrongfully accused him of misrepresenting his affiliation with the University.

"As Director of the Center, however, I had responsibility for the integrity of affiliations to the Center; and in this capacity I grew concerned (and responded to the concerns of others) at the publication alongside Dr. Afrasiabi's name of titles misrepresenting his relation with Harvard University," Mottahedeh wrote in a letter appearing in the February 14 issue of The Crimson

Mottahedeh wrote that Afrasiabi used titles such as "assistant professor" while he was a faculty associate.

Graham also wrote a letter to The Crimson which was published on May 21, 1996.

He defended the actions of the CMES, writing, "There is not, nor has there ever been any attempt by anyone at the CMES to do anything to Mr. Afrasiabi except to deny him continuing affiliation after he misrepresented his Harvard affiliation in print."

In addition to the letters to The Crimson, Afrasiabi accuses Mottahedeh of attempting to defame him by writing a negative letter about him to CBS reporter Mike Wallace of "60 Minutes" when Afrasiabi was a consultant with the popular television show.

Since his arrest, incarceration and the eventual dismissal of the case against him, Afrasiabi has authored a book about his troubles called Letter to Rushdie: Report on a Harvard Conspiracy, which, he said, has sold several hundred copies so far.

Graham said yesterday that he could not comment about the lawsuit because he was not aware a civil suit had been filed.

Harvard spokesperson Joe Wrinn likewise said he had no knowledge of the lawsuit and said that he cannot comment until the University is served with legal papers.

Mottahedeh was out of town and could not be reached for comment.

Afrasiabi said that he may consider dropping the lawsuit against the University, Graham and Mottahedeh if they recant their previous accusations and publicly apologize to him.