ACLU of Virginia is providing legal representation to student
The ACLU of Virginia learned today that George Mason University does not believe that a student demonstrator who was charged with trespassing and disorderly conduct should be prosecuted in criminal court. GMU’s decision apparently came after the University conducted its own investigation of an incident involving junior Tariq Khan, who was protesting the presence of military recruiters on campus on September 29 when he was arrested.
Lawyers for the ACLU of Virginia are representing Mr. Khan.
“We are pleased to learn of this development,” said ACLU of Virginia executive director Kent Willis, “and we hope that Fairfax County prosecutors will take this as a sign that they should drop the charges against this young man.”
“Based on our understanding of this event, though, this arrest should never have happened,” added Willis. “This was a quiet orderly protest by one person exercising his rights as guaranteed by the First Amendment. We are deeply concerned that Mr. Khan may have been arrested simply because he is a Pakastani-American who dared to protest against military recruiters. It is as illegal to arrest someone because of their nationality as it is to arrest them for their views on military recruiters.”
On the day of his arrest, Khan, a U.S. Air Force veteran, positioned himself several feet from a military recruiting table set up in the Johnson Center on the GMU campus. Khan wore an 8 ½ by 11 inch sign reading “Recruiters Tell Lies” taped to his chest.
Despite harassment from fellow students, Khan remained quiet. When told by a University official that he needed a permit to “table” in the Johnson Center, Khan politely responded that he was not using a table, but merely standing quietly and expressing his opinion.
After refusing to move, Khan was handcuffed by campus police, dragged to a police vehicle, and transported to a Fairfax County police facility where he was booked for trespass and disorderly conduct. He is scheduled to appear in court on November 14.
Contacts: Kent Willis, Executive Director and Rebecca Glenberg, Legal Director, 804-644-8022
