Johannes Chan, the former dean of the Hong Kong University law faculty who was denied appointment as a vice chancellor a year ago, has taken aim at Hong Kong Chief Executive Leung Chun-ying for academic interference in university affairs. Chan has co-authored a new paper with Douglas Kerr for Journal of Academic Freedom, the scholarly publication of the American Association of University Professors, concludes that "There is systematic interference in university affairs by the government." Chan’s paper also says the controversy surrounding his failed appointment is just the latest in a series of attempts by government to interfere in academia since the handover.