An open letter to the academic community to support Peruvian anthropologist Marcela Poirier, threatened with jail for telling the truth about an abuser [updated Apr 5].

The hearing in the "defamation" suit brought by confirmed sexual harasser Luis Jaime Castillo Butters, powerful archaeologist and former culture minister, will be held April 8.

Dear colleagues,

In exactly one week, Peruvian anthropologist Marcela Poirier will face a court hearing in Lima in a "defamation" suit brought against her by Luis Jaime Castillo Butters, one of Peru's most powerful archaeologists and a former minister and deputy minister of culture. This is because Marcela reported Castillo's long, confirmed history of sexual harassment to the U.S. National Academy of Sciences, which then ejected him and an investigation (see Science story by Meredith Wadman for details.)

Previously, the sexual harassment commission of Castillo's institution, the Pontifical Catholic University of Peru in Lima, had also found the allegations supported, but PUCP has taken no action.

I earlier posted an account of these events, which can be found here.

Castillo is asking the court to award him about $50,000 in damages and to put Marcela in jail for 30 months.

Marcela's supporters have asked several professional organizations to speak out and make statements or take other actions on Marcela's behalf, but they are acting very slowly (we still have hope, but time is running out.)

If you are a member of a professional organization in anthropology, archaeology, or any other academic field, please urge your officials and leaders to make a statement which can be published and let both Castillo and the court know that Marcela has your support. Individual statements are also welcome.

Please contact me privately if you have questions, or post them here and I will do my best to answer.

With profuse thanks,

Michael Balter

Update April 5: I’m pleased to say that the Institute of Andean Studies, which brings together 375 experts in Castillo’s own field, has issued a strong statement against harassment and retaliation, prompted directly by Castillo’s defamation suit against Marcela Poirier. A plea for support to the American Anthropological Association has been rejected on somewhat bureaucratic grounds, and we are still waiting to hear from the Society for American Archaeology, which so far has not responded to a number of requests to support Marcela. It appears that the desire to stay in Castillo’s good graces, essential for working in Peru, has sometimes trumped the moral responsibility to defend a colleague in danger.