Sir,
Would you allow us, grateful as we are for the kind reception you once extended to us, to show our concern about maintaining your well-deserved prestige and to point out that your star which, until now, has shone so brightly, risks being dimmed by the most shameful and indelible of stains?
Unscathed by vile slander, you have won the hearts of all. You are radiant in the glory of our university. But what filth this wretched affair has cast on your name - We wanted to say your ‘reign’! And now the image of LAU is sullied by this filth, and history shall record that it was under your presidency that this injustice was committed.
As they have dared, so shall we dare. Dare to tell the truth, as we have pledged to tell it, in full, since the normal channels of investigation inside the university have failed to do so.
And it is to you, Sir that we shall proclaim this truth, with all the force born of the revulsion of honorable students and an honest man. Knowing your integrity, we are convinced that you do not know the truth. But to whom if not to you, the first magistrate of the university, shall we reveal the vile baseness of the real guilty parties?
The truth, first of all, about Nagy Souraty’s case:
The week of the performances of Apostpasmata Agonistika (LAU Major Production, December 2010), the rumors began, unbeknownst to us at the time these were not mere rumors, it was the beginning of a civil war between the communication arts students. During a backstage meeting the first of the malevolent practitioners reared their heads. It was not the interference of a disgruntled onlooker, but rather an intrusion of a more bitter variety, an internal betrayal, the shape of things to come. ST1, one who lived and existed with us on stage had been spreading rumors on campus and badmouthing the director, the crew and the cast, holding a knife behind his back, smiling as they shared a meal together.
There is a unique breed of menace, a menace which lurks in the dark, hiding in the shadows it waits for the opportune moment to strike, yet even with hatred teeming from its aura, the menace grins in contempt. Another amongst us was identified to have been conspiring, pen in hand, lies as ink, the self proclaimed 'observer' ST2, documented its betrayal. Following the instructions of a faculty member F1and a member of the administration A1, denying nothing as she smiled in thanks.
If ever there was a soul so broken and lost, it belonged to the abandoned. A terrifying variety of madness breeds in isolation, fueled by scorn and vengeance. Reason is drowned by anger. The third of three, ST3 was ensnared upon being released from the production. When she decided to come back and apologize to the director for not being in a sober state during rehearsals, she was advised not to so by the same faculty member.
Following the performances of Apospasmata Agonistika, we were received not only with appraisal but also with accusations; word of mouth had engulfed LAU in our absence and had rendered it angry, hostile and deaf. Strangers were approaching us with questions so obscene, so insulting, and instantly we knew the full extent of what had been said while we were busy concentrating on creating a performance to make LAU proud. Suddenly left and right our names would be mentioned alongside with that of Nagy Souraty, people gossiping and constructing 'fact' from fiction. We were devastated, out casted and above all betrayed. Betrayed by our fellow classmates and some of our teachers.
As the week progressed so did our relationships deteriorate. As the days went by so did honesty and integrity vanish. The rumors transgressed the boundaries of the campus, the city and even the country as our foreign neighbors called to confirm said rumors. Yet nothing was done. The name of LAU theatre was being made a mockery of and yet, the administration did nothing. We began learning of the complaints drawn up by those once dear to us, how they were trying to shut down the production by defaming the director's name. Cowardice gave birth to desperation, which in turn gave birth to even more malicious and aggressive rumors. The Vengeance of the Nils: They attacked, while those betrayed smiled in silence.
The atmosphere became such a poisonous one that we were forced to take action. Respectively, calmly, many of us decided to pay a visit to a member of the administration we should refer to as students. During these meetings, the administration was informed of the situation in LAU, everything that was being said on campus, and we were told that this was nothing to worry about, and that everything will die down during the winter vacation and will return to 'normal'.
Suffice it to say, things did not go back to normal, on the contrary matters escalated from bad to worse. If the weeks of the performances had been the spark, then what followed was the fire. Before the Internet erupted with malicious attacks against Nagy Souraty and those working with him, rumors of Nagy Souraty's expulsion from LAU started being spread by a faculty member, who interrupted a meeting of students, plotting against us, when she called them to inform them of the news quoting a Vice-President. We started receiving calls and emails from people in search of verification of this piece of information. Needless to say, we were completely dislodged, we had no idea how to react or who to contact. We were waiting for things to calm down, so as to return to university and focus on our studies following a greatly unsettling holiday. This was clearly not in the books. The fates and events that took place were uncanny almost… coincidental. Rumors and slanders manifested deadly edges, and still the administration did nothing, while we were learning that faculty members were involved. Even still, what could be done against such reckless hate?
At the root of it all are three women, two faculty members F1 and F2 and one member of the administration A1. They are the entire Souraty case, and the entirety of it all will only come to light when an honest enquiry firmly establishes their actions and responsibilities. They appear to be the shadiest and most complex of creatures, spinning outlandish intrigues, stooping to the deceits of cheap tragedies, manipulating students and orchestrating them to present stolen documents, anonymous letters, arranging meetings on and off campus and fabricating false evidence, trying to turn it into facts. Evidence and facts that would have been proven false, had any respected member of the administration accepted the open invitation to attend both Souraty’s rehearsals and classes. The invitation was sent by our director, through the Chairperson to the Provost in the beginning of November 2010 (more than one month prior to the performance).
We need say no more: let us seek and we shall find. We are stating simply that we find the members of the committee conducting the preliminary investigation of the Souraty case, grievous offenders in the ghastly miscarriage of justice that has been committed.
The case had already been for some time in the hands of the administration. Information was ‘leaked’, facts were being altered, false accusations were being made, and faculty members were not hesitant to join the carnage as they continue to do so, to this day. As time progressed, we attained knowledge that faculty members were having meetings with the students plotting against Nagy Souraty, not only encouraging them, but also serving as legal advisors (offering to pay the fees of a lawyer if student ST2 needed one) while the students took part in shameless slander, libel and defamation (they were reassuring them that all this was ethical!) of a man who has been an educator for the past 20 years.
Meanwhile, the students who suffered from the administration’s decision to suspend Nagy Souraty two weeks prior to their final exams arranged a peaceful sit in on their once beloved campus and the Alma Mater of their educator. Despite the provocations, verbal and electronic harassment that these students were being subjected to, they stood united and strong for a cause they all felt mutually passionate about.
Let it also be known that while we were, as an homage to our mentor, transgressing through the ordeal in the strictest limitations of the bylaws, the aggressors seemed all too keen to dis-amiably provoke (and through the instruction of the supposed keepers of the laws and integrity of the university) leading one of their head lackeys ST2 through un-ordained means of trickery and deceit bypassing any barriers that may otherwise bring to light the truth of the nature, instead ordered her to circumvent, the head of the department, and in secrecy weaved her lies on ears ready to prosecute on order.
So, a supposed internal search was conducted. However, those who testified as witnesses to Nagy Souraty’s teaching methods, were composed mainly of the above mentioned students (ST1, ST2 and ST3) and their supporters who had never experienced being under the direction of Nagy Souraty, while all the actors and crew members who were present in all the rehearsals of Nagy Souraty were not called for questioning.
The verdict of the investigation was delayed time and time again for reasons unknown to us, almost as if the administration was not able to gather valid evidence for a decision that had already clearly been taken. Isn't it the right of a teacher undergoing such an investigation to refer to the Grievance Council? Isn't it his right to appeal prior to the decision of the President?
What a nightmare it is for us who know the story in its true details. And this is how the case proceeded, like some fifteenth century chronicle, shrouded in mystery, swamped in all manner of nasty twists and turns, all stemming from a trumped-up charge. This was not only a bit of cheap trickery but also the most outrageous fraud imaginable, for charges, which turned out in fact to be worthless. We dwell on this, because this is the germ of it all, whence the true crime would emerge, that horrifying miscarriage of justice that has blighted LAU. We would like to point out how this travesty was made possible, how it sprang out of the machinations of the administration and certain faculty members, how they became so ensnared in this falsehood that they felt compelled to impose it as a holy and indisputable truth. Having set it all in motion merely by carelessness and lack of intelligence, they seem at worst to have given in to the political bias of their milieu. The administration’s final decision was to terminate Souraty’s contract after his refusal to end the ordeal amiably and submit a resignation. (Regardless, does a part-time faculty member even need to submit a resignation?). In the end, they allowed stupidity to prevail. Too many errors of judgment. Too many wrong decisions.
Behind the closed doors, the utmost secrecy is demanded. The public was astounded; rumors flew of the most horrible acts, the most monstrous deceptions, lies that were an affront to our educational institution. The decision makers thought, that the public would be naturally taken in. They probably even thought that no punishment could be too harsh. The manipulated students who shamelessly victimized themselves clamored for the criminal to be publicly stripped of his rank and demanded to see him writhing with remorse on his rock of infamy. Could these things be true, these unspeakable acts, these deeds so dangerous that they must be carefully hidden behind closed doors to keep the reputation of the LAU community from going up in flames? No! They were nothing but the demented fabrications of these psychologically traumatized and culturally shocked students, a cover-up of the most preposterous fantasies imaginable. To be convinced of this, one need only read carefully the accusation as it was presented before the administration. However, transparency seems to be a privilege that the administration will not grant to its students.
How flimsy it is! The fact that someone could have been convicted on this charge is the ultimate iniquity. We defy decent men to seek the truth without a stir of indignation in their hearts and a cry of revulsion, at the thought of an undeserved verdict being meted out. He sought excellence: a crime! He dealt with actors as professionals: a crime! He expected optimum efforts from his students: a crime! He was hardworking and strove to be well informed: a crime! He did not become confused: a crime! He became confused: a crime! And how childish the language is, how groundless the accusation! We also learnt that the members of the committee could not agree at one point. We heard that one of them, faced pressure when he dared to come to a conclusion other than the desired one as he had only been granted his post by another member of the same committee, who ignoring a petition of 800 students demoted another member of administration. And we must not forget this: members of the committee had sought this prosecution to begin with and had passed judgment. And now they were passing judgment once again.
It is said that within the committee interrogations, the judges were naturally leaning toward acquittal. It becomes clear why, at that point, as justification for the verdict, it became vitally important to turn up some damning evidence, a secret document that, like God, could not be shown, but which explained everything, and was invisible, unknowable, and incontrovertible. We deny the existence of such a thing. With all our strength, we deny it! It is a lie, all the more odious and cynical in that its perpetrators are getting off free without even admitting it. They stirred up all of LAU, they hid behind the understandable commotion they had set off, and they sealed their lips while troubling our hearts and perverting our spirit. We know of no greater crime against the student body of our university.
These, Sir, are the facts that explain how this miscarriage of justice came about. The evidence of our teacher's character, his affluence, the lack of motive and his continued affirmation of innocence combine to show that he is the victim of the lurid imagination of the few opposing students, the political circles surrounding him in the administration and the obsession of envious faculty members that is the scourge of our time.
Meanwhile, on campus, truth was marching on, inevitably, and we know how the long-awaited storm broke. After one month of the sit-in, the demonstration of the students got the attention of the press (who was not allowed access to LAU). Word of LAU’s injustice and corruption invaded the public opinion. Fearing for its accreditation, LAU, protecting itself, not wanting to admit its crime, an abomination that has been growing by the minute, published a press release attempting to justify itself by attacking Nagy Souraty yet again.
We have before us the ignoble spectacle of men who are being hailed as innocent, whereas the honor of a man whose life is spotless was vilely attacked: An academic institution that sinks to that level has fallen into decay.
The Nagy Souraty affair, thus, Mr. President, comes down to this: guilty administration and faculty members are being passed off as innocent and an innocent man is being passed off as guilty. For months we followed this nasty business hour by hour... It has now been a year; we are being brief; for this is but the abridged version of a story whose sordid pages will someday be written out in full.
We are not even talking about the way the committee members were hand-picked, leaving no room for even one member who belonged to the arts or to the field of theater. Doesn’t the overriding idea of discipline, which is our lifeblood, itself underline our capacity for fairness?
So they rendered an iniquitous verdict that will forever weigh upon our university and will henceforth cast a shadow of suspicion on all its decree.
It is a crime to lie to the public, to twist public opinion to insane lengths in the service of the vilest machinations. It is a crime to poison the minds of the meek and the humble, to stoke the passions of reactionism and intolerance that unchecked, will destroy the freedom-loving students of the LAU.
Truth and justice, so ardently longed for! How terrible it is to see them trampled, unrecognized and ignored! Seven petitions with over 500 signatures of current students, alumni and parents supporting Nagy Souraty were overlooked. A man of honor, as he has been all his life, he believed that the truth will speak for itself, especially since it appears to him plain as day. Why stir up trouble, especially since the sun would soon shine? It is because of this serene trust that he had been convicted. These scruples are all the more honorable since he remained mindful of discipline, while students, manipulated by faculty members were dragging his name through the mud and casting suspicion on him, in the most astounding and outrageous way. As for us, we left our fates to God, while the devil was taking charge.
This is the plain truth, Mr. President, and it is terrifying. It will leave an indelible stain on your presidency. We realize that you have no power over this case, that you are limited by your entourage, who are ignoring the bylaws of the university. You have, nonetheless, your duty as a man, which you will recognize and fulfill. But we have not despaired in the least, of the triumph of right. We repeat with the most vehement conviction: truth is on the march, and nothing will stop it. It is only the beginning, for the positions have become clear: on one side, those who are guilty, who do not want the light to shine forth, on the other, those who seek justice and who will give their lives to attain it. We said it before and we repeat it now: when truth is buried underground, it grows and it builds up so much force that the day it explodes it blasts everything with it. We shall see whether we have been setting ourselves up for the most resounding of disasters, yet to come.
But this letter is long, Sir, and it is time to conclude it.
We accuse the faculty member F1 of violating the trust and ethical conduct as a professor towards her students by acting as a legal advisor on a slanderous campaign against her fellow faculty member. Of facilitating the theft of the laptop of Nagy Souraty and some props of the production from his office FA103, an office F1 has access to.
We accuse faculty member F2 of attending meetings with the students plotting against Nagy Souraty, of convincing students to present false testimonies and fabricated charges against Nagy Souraty, of leaking information from the committee (in and off campus) not hesitating to quote her superior, when she felt professionally threatened and demeaned by him.
We accuse the member of the administration A1 of being at the source of this miscarriage of justice - unwittingly, we would like to believe - and of defending this sorry deed, over months, by all manner of ludicrous and evil machinations.
We accuse the members of the committee of conducting a villainous enquiry, by which we mean a monstrously biased one that is an imperishable monument to naïve impudence.
We accuse the students ST1, ST2 and ST3 of submitting reports that were deceitful and fraudulent, unless a medical examination finds them to be suffering from a condition that impairs their eyesight and judgment. In both cases we accuse the above-mentioned faculty members and members of administration of manipulating these students.
Finally, we accuse the LAU’s administration for conducting an abominable campaign to mislead the general public and cover up its own wrongdoing.
As for the people we are accusing, we bare them neither ill will nor hatred. We have all graduated already or will be graduating soon. To us these people are mere entities, agents of harm to our university. The action we are taking is no more than a radical measure to hasten the explosion of truth and justice.
We have now but one passion: to enlighten those who have been kept in the dark, in the name of the ones who have been unjustly treated. Our fiery protest is simply the cry of our very souls.
Looking forward to reading you Sir, especially that you never replied to our last letter submitted to your office in the form of a film in March 2011 (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GeB6MLY2k4M).
The respected body of students, alumnus and body who have worked or studied with Mr. Nagy Souraty.
Would you allow us, grateful as we are for the kind reception you once extended to us, to show our concern about maintaining your well-deserved prestige and to point out that your star which, until now, has shone so brightly, risks being dimmed by the most shameful and indelible of stains?
Unscathed by vile slander, you have won the hearts of all. You are radiant in the glory of our university. But what filth this wretched affair has cast on your name - We wanted to say your ‘reign’! And now the image of LAU is sullied by this filth, and history shall record that it was under your presidency that this injustice was committed.
As they have dared, so shall we dare. Dare to tell the truth, as we have pledged to tell it, in full, since the normal channels of investigation inside the university have failed to do so.
And it is to you, Sir that we shall proclaim this truth, with all the force born of the revulsion of honorable students and an honest man. Knowing your integrity, we are convinced that you do not know the truth. But to whom if not to you, the first magistrate of the university, shall we reveal the vile baseness of the real guilty parties?
The truth, first of all, about Nagy Souraty’s case:
The week of the performances of Apostpasmata Agonistika (LAU Major Production, December 2010), the rumors began, unbeknownst to us at the time these were not mere rumors, it was the beginning of a civil war between the communication arts students. During a backstage meeting the first of the malevolent practitioners reared their heads. It was not the interference of a disgruntled onlooker, but rather an intrusion of a more bitter variety, an internal betrayal, the shape of things to come. ST1, one who lived and existed with us on stage had been spreading rumors on campus and badmouthing the director, the crew and the cast, holding a knife behind his back, smiling as they shared a meal together.
There is a unique breed of menace, a menace which lurks in the dark, hiding in the shadows it waits for the opportune moment to strike, yet even with hatred teeming from its aura, the menace grins in contempt. Another amongst us was identified to have been conspiring, pen in hand, lies as ink, the self proclaimed 'observer' ST2, documented its betrayal. Following the instructions of a faculty member F1and a member of the administration A1, denying nothing as she smiled in thanks.
If ever there was a soul so broken and lost, it belonged to the abandoned. A terrifying variety of madness breeds in isolation, fueled by scorn and vengeance. Reason is drowned by anger. The third of three, ST3 was ensnared upon being released from the production. When she decided to come back and apologize to the director for not being in a sober state during rehearsals, she was advised not to so by the same faculty member.
Following the performances of Apospasmata Agonistika, we were received not only with appraisal but also with accusations; word of mouth had engulfed LAU in our absence and had rendered it angry, hostile and deaf. Strangers were approaching us with questions so obscene, so insulting, and instantly we knew the full extent of what had been said while we were busy concentrating on creating a performance to make LAU proud. Suddenly left and right our names would be mentioned alongside with that of Nagy Souraty, people gossiping and constructing 'fact' from fiction. We were devastated, out casted and above all betrayed. Betrayed by our fellow classmates and some of our teachers.
As the week progressed so did our relationships deteriorate. As the days went by so did honesty and integrity vanish. The rumors transgressed the boundaries of the campus, the city and even the country as our foreign neighbors called to confirm said rumors. Yet nothing was done. The name of LAU theatre was being made a mockery of and yet, the administration did nothing. We began learning of the complaints drawn up by those once dear to us, how they were trying to shut down the production by defaming the director's name. Cowardice gave birth to desperation, which in turn gave birth to even more malicious and aggressive rumors. The Vengeance of the Nils: They attacked, while those betrayed smiled in silence.
The atmosphere became such a poisonous one that we were forced to take action. Respectively, calmly, many of us decided to pay a visit to a member of the administration we should refer to as students. During these meetings, the administration was informed of the situation in LAU, everything that was being said on campus, and we were told that this was nothing to worry about, and that everything will die down during the winter vacation and will return to 'normal'.
Suffice it to say, things did not go back to normal, on the contrary matters escalated from bad to worse. If the weeks of the performances had been the spark, then what followed was the fire. Before the Internet erupted with malicious attacks against Nagy Souraty and those working with him, rumors of Nagy Souraty's expulsion from LAU started being spread by a faculty member, who interrupted a meeting of students, plotting against us, when she called them to inform them of the news quoting a Vice-President. We started receiving calls and emails from people in search of verification of this piece of information. Needless to say, we were completely dislodged, we had no idea how to react or who to contact. We were waiting for things to calm down, so as to return to university and focus on our studies following a greatly unsettling holiday. This was clearly not in the books. The fates and events that took place were uncanny almost… coincidental. Rumors and slanders manifested deadly edges, and still the administration did nothing, while we were learning that faculty members were involved. Even still, what could be done against such reckless hate?
At the root of it all are three women, two faculty members F1 and F2 and one member of the administration A1. They are the entire Souraty case, and the entirety of it all will only come to light when an honest enquiry firmly establishes their actions and responsibilities. They appear to be the shadiest and most complex of creatures, spinning outlandish intrigues, stooping to the deceits of cheap tragedies, manipulating students and orchestrating them to present stolen documents, anonymous letters, arranging meetings on and off campus and fabricating false evidence, trying to turn it into facts. Evidence and facts that would have been proven false, had any respected member of the administration accepted the open invitation to attend both Souraty’s rehearsals and classes. The invitation was sent by our director, through the Chairperson to the Provost in the beginning of November 2010 (more than one month prior to the performance).
We need say no more: let us seek and we shall find. We are stating simply that we find the members of the committee conducting the preliminary investigation of the Souraty case, grievous offenders in the ghastly miscarriage of justice that has been committed.
The case had already been for some time in the hands of the administration. Information was ‘leaked’, facts were being altered, false accusations were being made, and faculty members were not hesitant to join the carnage as they continue to do so, to this day. As time progressed, we attained knowledge that faculty members were having meetings with the students plotting against Nagy Souraty, not only encouraging them, but also serving as legal advisors (offering to pay the fees of a lawyer if student ST2 needed one) while the students took part in shameless slander, libel and defamation (they were reassuring them that all this was ethical!) of a man who has been an educator for the past 20 years.
Meanwhile, the students who suffered from the administration’s decision to suspend Nagy Souraty two weeks prior to their final exams arranged a peaceful sit in on their once beloved campus and the Alma Mater of their educator. Despite the provocations, verbal and electronic harassment that these students were being subjected to, they stood united and strong for a cause they all felt mutually passionate about.
Let it also be known that while we were, as an homage to our mentor, transgressing through the ordeal in the strictest limitations of the bylaws, the aggressors seemed all too keen to dis-amiably provoke (and through the instruction of the supposed keepers of the laws and integrity of the university) leading one of their head lackeys ST2 through un-ordained means of trickery and deceit bypassing any barriers that may otherwise bring to light the truth of the nature, instead ordered her to circumvent, the head of the department, and in secrecy weaved her lies on ears ready to prosecute on order.
So, a supposed internal search was conducted. However, those who testified as witnesses to Nagy Souraty’s teaching methods, were composed mainly of the above mentioned students (ST1, ST2 and ST3) and their supporters who had never experienced being under the direction of Nagy Souraty, while all the actors and crew members who were present in all the rehearsals of Nagy Souraty were not called for questioning.
The verdict of the investigation was delayed time and time again for reasons unknown to us, almost as if the administration was not able to gather valid evidence for a decision that had already clearly been taken. Isn't it the right of a teacher undergoing such an investigation to refer to the Grievance Council? Isn't it his right to appeal prior to the decision of the President?
What a nightmare it is for us who know the story in its true details. And this is how the case proceeded, like some fifteenth century chronicle, shrouded in mystery, swamped in all manner of nasty twists and turns, all stemming from a trumped-up charge. This was not only a bit of cheap trickery but also the most outrageous fraud imaginable, for charges, which turned out in fact to be worthless. We dwell on this, because this is the germ of it all, whence the true crime would emerge, that horrifying miscarriage of justice that has blighted LAU. We would like to point out how this travesty was made possible, how it sprang out of the machinations of the administration and certain faculty members, how they became so ensnared in this falsehood that they felt compelled to impose it as a holy and indisputable truth. Having set it all in motion merely by carelessness and lack of intelligence, they seem at worst to have given in to the political bias of their milieu. The administration’s final decision was to terminate Souraty’s contract after his refusal to end the ordeal amiably and submit a resignation. (Regardless, does a part-time faculty member even need to submit a resignation?). In the end, they allowed stupidity to prevail. Too many errors of judgment. Too many wrong decisions.
Behind the closed doors, the utmost secrecy is demanded. The public was astounded; rumors flew of the most horrible acts, the most monstrous deceptions, lies that were an affront to our educational institution. The decision makers thought, that the public would be naturally taken in. They probably even thought that no punishment could be too harsh. The manipulated students who shamelessly victimized themselves clamored for the criminal to be publicly stripped of his rank and demanded to see him writhing with remorse on his rock of infamy. Could these things be true, these unspeakable acts, these deeds so dangerous that they must be carefully hidden behind closed doors to keep the reputation of the LAU community from going up in flames? No! They were nothing but the demented fabrications of these psychologically traumatized and culturally shocked students, a cover-up of the most preposterous fantasies imaginable. To be convinced of this, one need only read carefully the accusation as it was presented before the administration. However, transparency seems to be a privilege that the administration will not grant to its students.
How flimsy it is! The fact that someone could have been convicted on this charge is the ultimate iniquity. We defy decent men to seek the truth without a stir of indignation in their hearts and a cry of revulsion, at the thought of an undeserved verdict being meted out. He sought excellence: a crime! He dealt with actors as professionals: a crime! He expected optimum efforts from his students: a crime! He was hardworking and strove to be well informed: a crime! He did not become confused: a crime! He became confused: a crime! And how childish the language is, how groundless the accusation! We also learnt that the members of the committee could not agree at one point. We heard that one of them, faced pressure when he dared to come to a conclusion other than the desired one as he had only been granted his post by another member of the same committee, who ignoring a petition of 800 students demoted another member of administration. And we must not forget this: members of the committee had sought this prosecution to begin with and had passed judgment. And now they were passing judgment once again.
It is said that within the committee interrogations, the judges were naturally leaning toward acquittal. It becomes clear why, at that point, as justification for the verdict, it became vitally important to turn up some damning evidence, a secret document that, like God, could not be shown, but which explained everything, and was invisible, unknowable, and incontrovertible. We deny the existence of such a thing. With all our strength, we deny it! It is a lie, all the more odious and cynical in that its perpetrators are getting off free without even admitting it. They stirred up all of LAU, they hid behind the understandable commotion they had set off, and they sealed their lips while troubling our hearts and perverting our spirit. We know of no greater crime against the student body of our university.
These, Sir, are the facts that explain how this miscarriage of justice came about. The evidence of our teacher's character, his affluence, the lack of motive and his continued affirmation of innocence combine to show that he is the victim of the lurid imagination of the few opposing students, the political circles surrounding him in the administration and the obsession of envious faculty members that is the scourge of our time.
Meanwhile, on campus, truth was marching on, inevitably, and we know how the long-awaited storm broke. After one month of the sit-in, the demonstration of the students got the attention of the press (who was not allowed access to LAU). Word of LAU’s injustice and corruption invaded the public opinion. Fearing for its accreditation, LAU, protecting itself, not wanting to admit its crime, an abomination that has been growing by the minute, published a press release attempting to justify itself by attacking Nagy Souraty yet again.
We have before us the ignoble spectacle of men who are being hailed as innocent, whereas the honor of a man whose life is spotless was vilely attacked: An academic institution that sinks to that level has fallen into decay.
The Nagy Souraty affair, thus, Mr. President, comes down to this: guilty administration and faculty members are being passed off as innocent and an innocent man is being passed off as guilty. For months we followed this nasty business hour by hour... It has now been a year; we are being brief; for this is but the abridged version of a story whose sordid pages will someday be written out in full.
We are not even talking about the way the committee members were hand-picked, leaving no room for even one member who belonged to the arts or to the field of theater. Doesn’t the overriding idea of discipline, which is our lifeblood, itself underline our capacity for fairness?
So they rendered an iniquitous verdict that will forever weigh upon our university and will henceforth cast a shadow of suspicion on all its decree.
It is a crime to lie to the public, to twist public opinion to insane lengths in the service of the vilest machinations. It is a crime to poison the minds of the meek and the humble, to stoke the passions of reactionism and intolerance that unchecked, will destroy the freedom-loving students of the LAU.
Truth and justice, so ardently longed for! How terrible it is to see them trampled, unrecognized and ignored! Seven petitions with over 500 signatures of current students, alumni and parents supporting Nagy Souraty were overlooked. A man of honor, as he has been all his life, he believed that the truth will speak for itself, especially since it appears to him plain as day. Why stir up trouble, especially since the sun would soon shine? It is because of this serene trust that he had been convicted. These scruples are all the more honorable since he remained mindful of discipline, while students, manipulated by faculty members were dragging his name through the mud and casting suspicion on him, in the most astounding and outrageous way. As for us, we left our fates to God, while the devil was taking charge.
This is the plain truth, Mr. President, and it is terrifying. It will leave an indelible stain on your presidency. We realize that you have no power over this case, that you are limited by your entourage, who are ignoring the bylaws of the university. You have, nonetheless, your duty as a man, which you will recognize and fulfill. But we have not despaired in the least, of the triumph of right. We repeat with the most vehement conviction: truth is on the march, and nothing will stop it. It is only the beginning, for the positions have become clear: on one side, those who are guilty, who do not want the light to shine forth, on the other, those who seek justice and who will give their lives to attain it. We said it before and we repeat it now: when truth is buried underground, it grows and it builds up so much force that the day it explodes it blasts everything with it. We shall see whether we have been setting ourselves up for the most resounding of disasters, yet to come.
But this letter is long, Sir, and it is time to conclude it.
We accuse the faculty member F1 of violating the trust and ethical conduct as a professor towards her students by acting as a legal advisor on a slanderous campaign against her fellow faculty member. Of facilitating the theft of the laptop of Nagy Souraty and some props of the production from his office FA103, an office F1 has access to.
We accuse faculty member F2 of attending meetings with the students plotting against Nagy Souraty, of convincing students to present false testimonies and fabricated charges against Nagy Souraty, of leaking information from the committee (in and off campus) not hesitating to quote her superior, when she felt professionally threatened and demeaned by him.
We accuse the member of the administration A1 of being at the source of this miscarriage of justice - unwittingly, we would like to believe - and of defending this sorry deed, over months, by all manner of ludicrous and evil machinations.
We accuse the members of the committee of conducting a villainous enquiry, by which we mean a monstrously biased one that is an imperishable monument to naïve impudence.
We accuse the students ST1, ST2 and ST3 of submitting reports that were deceitful and fraudulent, unless a medical examination finds them to be suffering from a condition that impairs their eyesight and judgment. In both cases we accuse the above-mentioned faculty members and members of administration of manipulating these students.
Finally, we accuse the LAU’s administration for conducting an abominable campaign to mislead the general public and cover up its own wrongdoing.
As for the people we are accusing, we bare them neither ill will nor hatred. We have all graduated already or will be graduating soon. To us these people are mere entities, agents of harm to our university. The action we are taking is no more than a radical measure to hasten the explosion of truth and justice.
We have now but one passion: to enlighten those who have been kept in the dark, in the name of the ones who have been unjustly treated. Our fiery protest is simply the cry of our very souls.
Looking forward to reading you Sir, especially that you never replied to our last letter submitted to your office in the form of a film in March 2011 (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GeB6MLY2k4M).
The respected body of students, alumnus and body who have worked or studied with Mr. Nagy Souraty.
N.B: our present letter is of course inspired by E. Zola.
P.S: You can find below some links to press clippings..
«إدارة جامعـة بحـاجـة إلـى درس»
Firas Al Amin in Assafir - March 2011
http://didaskalosaghonistikos.blogspot.com/2011/03/in-press_16.html
الأشقر، الصايغ وعلي أحمد في لقاء حول قضية ناجي صوراتي
Safwan Haidar in Assafir - March 2011
http://didaskalosaghonistikos.blogspot.com/2011/03/in-press_12.html
دعـم طـلابي منح القضية حجماً مضاعفاً
Mohmad Hijazi in Al Joumhouriya - April 2011
http://didaskalosaghonistikos.blogspot.com/2011/03/in-press_11.html
ناجي صوراتي ليس نبيّاً في بلده
Zeinab Merhi in Al Akhbar - March 2011
http://didaskalosaghonistikos.blogspot.com/2011/03/in-press.html
ناجي صوراتي ومقاربة العنف على المسرح الفنّ - مرادف للأمل حتى في ذروة تعبيره عن اليأس
Issa Makhlouf in Assafir - April 2011
http://didaskalosaghonistikos.blogspot.com/2011/04/in-press_610.html
Après la LAU, quels sont les projets de Nagy Souraty?
Nayla Rached in L'Agenda Culturel - March 2011
http://didaskalosaghonistikos.blogspot.com/2011/03/in-press_842.html
ناجي صوراتي: «تقاسيم» على الهاوية
Bissan Tay in Al Akhbar - March 2011
http://didaskalosaghonistikos.blogspot.com/2011/03/in-press_8538.html
ناجي صوراتي: تهمته أسلوبه في التمارين والمخرج يقسو من أجل أفضل نتيجة في العرض
Mohamad Hijazi in Al Liwaa - March 2011
http://didaskalosaghonistikos.blogspot.com/2011/03/in-press_2116.html
خشبة المدينة تنفتح لـ ناجي صوراتي مع <تقاسيم ما بعد العراك> المتقاتلون من أم واحدة والكل
خاسرون في النهاية
Mohamad Hijazi in Al Liwaa - april 2011
http://didaskalosaghonistikos.blogspot.com/2011/04/in-press_4160.html
"The violence of dissonance and fight"
Matthew Mosley in The Daily Star - March 2011
http://didaskalosaghonistikos.blogspot.com/2011/03/in-press_3360.html
Al Joumhouriya - April 2011
http://didaskalosaghonistikos.blogspot.com/2011/03/in-press_05.html
Al Liwaa - April 2011
Al Nahar - April 2011
http://didaskalosaghonistikos.blogspot.com/2011/03/kinetics.html
Al Mustaqbal - February 2011
Al Liwaa - February 2011
An Nahar - February 2011
Al Akhbar - February 2011
http://didaskalosaghonistikos.blogspot.com/2011/02/kinetics_992.html
An Nahar - February 2011
http://didaskalosaghonistikos.blogspot.com/2011/02/in-press.html
P.P.S: You can find below some links to testimonies written by students of Nagy Souraty and by people who have worked with him.
Etel Adnan: http://didaskalosaghonistikos.blogspot.com/2011/02/etel-adnan-wrote_05.html
Rasha Hoteit: http://didaskalosaghonistikos.blogspot.com/2011/12/they-hereby-confessed-and-testified.html
Moe Khadra: http://didaskalosaghonistikos.blogspot.com/2011/11/they-hereby-confessed-and-testified.html
Samira Aghacy: http://didaskalosaghonistikos.blogspot.com/2011/08/samira-aghacy-wrote.html
Angela Khoury: http://didaskalosaghonistikos.blogspot.com/2011/02/they-hereby-confessed-and-testified_20.html
Mahdi Yehya: http://didaskalosaghonistikos.blogspot.com/2011/02/they-hereby-confessed-and-testified_2805.html
Alaa Minawi: http://didaskalosaghonistikos.blogspot.com/2011/02/they-hereby-confessed-and-testified_05.html
http://didaskalosaghonistikos.blogspot.com/2011/02/personal-opinion_20.html
Dima Dabbous: http://didaskalosaghonistikos.blogspot.com/2011/02/dima-dabbous-sensening-wrote_12.html
Haifa Fadel: http://didaskalosaghonistikos.blogspot.com/2011/02/they-hereby-confessed-and-testified_6939.html
Ilat Knayzeh: http://didaskalosaghonistikos.blogspot.com/2011/02/they-hereby-confessed-and-testified_12.html
Hasan Salame: http://didaskalosaghonistikos.blogspot.com/2011/02/personal-opinion.html
Yasmine Agha: http://didaskalosaghonistikos.blogspot.com/2011/02/they-hereby-confessed-and-testified_9925.html
Khalil Kadri: http://didaskalosaghonistikos.blogspot.com/2011/02/they-hereby-confessed-and-testified_8260.html
Joud Adada & Joanna Aziz: http://didaskalosaghonistikos.blogspot.com/2011/02/nlt-nagy-local-timing.html
Moe Khadra: http://didaskalosaghonistikos.blogspot.com/2011/11/they-hereby-confessed-and-testified.html
Samira Aghacy: http://didaskalosaghonistikos.blogspot.com/2011/08/samira-aghacy-wrote.html
Angela Khoury: http://didaskalosaghonistikos.blogspot.com/2011/02/they-hereby-confessed-and-testified_20.html
Mahdi Yehya: http://didaskalosaghonistikos.blogspot.com/2011/02/they-hereby-confessed-and-testified_2805.html
Alaa Minawi: http://didaskalosaghonistikos.blogspot.com/2011/02/they-hereby-confessed-and-testified_05.html
http://didaskalosaghonistikos.blogspot.com/2011/02/personal-opinion_20.html
Dima Dabbous: http://didaskalosaghonistikos.blogspot.com/2011/02/dima-dabbous-sensening-wrote_12.html
Haifa Fadel: http://didaskalosaghonistikos.blogspot.com/2011/02/they-hereby-confessed-and-testified_6939.html
Ilat Knayzeh: http://didaskalosaghonistikos.blogspot.com/2011/02/they-hereby-confessed-and-testified_12.html
Hasan Salame: http://didaskalosaghonistikos.blogspot.com/2011/02/personal-opinion.html
Yasmine Agha: http://didaskalosaghonistikos.blogspot.com/2011/02/they-hereby-confessed-and-testified_9925.html
Khalil Kadri: http://didaskalosaghonistikos.blogspot.com/2011/02/they-hereby-confessed-and-testified_8260.html
Joud Adada & Joanna Aziz: http://didaskalosaghonistikos.blogspot.com/2011/02/nlt-nagy-local-timing.html
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