The Autonomous University of Barcelona (UAB) has suspended a Spanish philology professor to one year and two months of work and salary for "abuse of authority" in his position.
The university, which had been aware of this case for more than a year, since a student filed a complaint before the rectory, issued the resolution last February. During this time and until now, the professor has continued to teach classes.
According to the newspaper Ara, the decision is made after the last complaint by a doctoral student for sexual harassment and seven previous complaints for labor and power abuse. The professor has been suspended for a very serious violation of the status of public employee and for two serious violations of abuse of authority.
The resolution occurs after the activation of the protocol against sexist violence in 2022, initiated at the time an incidence of sexist, sexual or other types of violence by a member of the university community is reported.
The university has issued a statement to the students informing them that the professor in question has an open disciplinary file and that an employment and land sanction of one year and two months will be applied to him for "taking precedence over his status as a public employee to obtain a undue benefit and abuse of authority in the exercise of a position".
Likewise, in this statement the university ensures that "the suspension of duties affects both work and the entire salary".
The UAB has pointed out in this letter that the resolution was notified to the professor on February 17, that he can file an appeal for reversal until March 17, and that the sanction will be effective and will be executed as of Monday, March 20.
This complaint is not an isolated case at the Barcelona university. Two days ago, the case arose of a Physics professor whom the Provincial Court of Barcelona had sentenced to a year and a half in prison for continued sexual assault on a doctoral student.
This case provoked student protests during the day on Wednesday and the resignation of the head of Equality at the Faculty of Sciences, Gemma García. Likewise, the university has rejected the attitude of the Physics professor and has declared the "rejection of any sexist violence".
