Agreement provides for dismissal after 100 hours of community service, following mistrial and disqualification of Santa Clara County District Attorney’s Office
The San Francisco Bay Area office of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR-SFBA), the nation’s largest Muslim civil rights and advocacy organization, today welcomed a diversion agreement that will end the felony prosecution of the Stanford University students charged following a June 2024 protest calling on the university to stop funding and profiting from Israel’s genocide in Gaza.
Under the diversion agreement, the charges will be dismissed after the students complete 100 hours of community service and pay an agreed-upon restitution amount. The restitution has already been paid, and two of the students have already completed their required community service.
The resolution comes after a mistrial in February, when jurors were unable to reach unanimous verdicts. The Santa Clara County District Attorney’s Office then announced plans to retry the case, only for a Superior Court judge to disqualify District Attorney Jeff Rosen and his entire office after finding that Rosen’s use of the prosecution in campaign materials created a conflict of interest that compromised the prosecution. The California Attorney General’s Office subsequently assumed responsibility for the case.
In a statement, CAIR-SFBA Executive Director Zahra Billoo said:
“We welcome the Attorney General’s decision not to pursue another trial and the court’s approval of a path to dismissal. These students should never have faced felony charges for their participation in a campus protest. Treating protest activity as felony conduct was disproportionate from the outset, and putting them through another trial after more than two years, a mistrial and the disqualification of the District Attorney’s Office because of a conflict of interest would only have compounded that harm.
“Advocacy for Palestinian rights should not be subjected to harsher treatment than other forms of political expression. We look forward to the completion of this process and the dismissal of these charges so these students can move forward with their lives.”
The case stemmed from a June 2024 demonstration in which protesters occupied Stanford University’s president and provost offices while demanding that the university divest from companies connected to Israel’s military campaign in Gaza. Five defendants ultimately went to trial on felony vandalism and conspiracy to trespass charges. After a four-week trial and roughly a week of deliberations, the jury deadlocked and a judge declared a mistrial in February.
CAIR-SFBA is an office of CAIR, America’s largest Muslim civil liberties and advocacy organization. Its mission is to enhance the understanding of Islam, protect civil rights, promote justice, and empower American Muslims.
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CONTACT: CAIR-San Francisco Bay Area Communications Manager Lorrie Adam, 408.498.5779, [email protected]