Three Statler Hall protesters appeared before a supporter-packed court Wednesday morning to be arraigned on charges of obstructing government administration and unlawful assembly. Two of the protesters, Yihun Stith ’26 and graduate student Sriram Parasurama, pled not guilty, while Atakan Deviren ’27 had his case dismissed on a technicality.
Wednesday’s court appearance is the most recent development following a slew of punishments that the University has issued against protesters who disrupted a Sept. 18 career fair featuring defense contractors Boeing and L3Harris. The three students were accused of shoving and resisting officers at the entrance of Statler Hall. The three students’ arrests exemplify the forewarned implications of video identification that President Kolitkoff described in one of many statements on the career fair disruption.
In court, following Stith’s and Parasurama’s pleas, Assistant District Attorney Amelia Carol Christian submitted a proposal that the defendants accept a disorderly conduct charge, which would result in 25 hours of community service.
As Stith and Parasurama’s defense attorney Jerome Mayersak explained in an interview with The Sun, “Disorderly conduct is not a crime, it’s a violation, and that’s the [ADA’s] offer at this point.”
Following Christian’s proposal, Mayersak moved to adjourn until Nov. 22, when the defense would decide if it would accept the ADA’s offer or put forward its own proposal.
Serving as Deviren’s defense, Attorney Aubrey Hetznecker ’10 objected to allegations against Deviren, saying that they were facially insufficient because they failed to individually name Deviren.
Judge Seth Peacock J.D. ’01 reviewed the charges and concluded that there were no specific references to Deviren in the accusations. After review, Christian assented with Hetzneckers’ initial objection, and it was officially entered as a motion. Christian further asked that the case be dismissed without prejudice, meaning the case would be released, but Cornell University Police Department could refile the charges if desired.
Atakan Deviren ’27’s charges were dropped as a result of his name not being specified in any of the accusations. (Ming DeMers/Sun Photography Editor)
Stith said that so far, he is pleased with the results of the proceedings.
“Going into it, we were feeling calm, feeling conserved, feeling confident,” Stith said. “With Atakan [Deviren]’s dismissal, Cornell University will probably refile. … It shows that they didn’t do their due diligence in submitting their files into the court.”
While content with the outcome, Stith was bothered by the need for a case at all — particularly given the “tactical” way in which the University punished the protesters.
“I mean, it’s for sure, tactical in terms of the way that they’re going about punishing individuals in the way that they don’t have to really release any specific information”
Contrary to Stith’s concerns, the University’s reasoning for bringing the students to court have in fact been made public. Information on the arrests was revealed in a post on the CUPD Instagram, a video released in a statement by Vice President of Media Relations Joel Malina and another statement by President Michael Kolitkoff.
According to the CUPD post, “The three were identified as refusing to comply with lawful orders of the police to remain outside of the Statler Hotel and physically forcing their way past officers.”
While both Stith and Parasurama pled not guilty to these actions, video footage released by the University shows the three defendants on the front line of the crowd, making contact with and pushing past CUPD officers.
Stith declined to comment on the footage.
Before 9 a.m., students, faculty and supporters began filing into the courthouse.
According to a supporter, approximately 200 individuals attended the arraignment in support of the defendants.
Sara Almosawi ’25, one of the confirmed 15 students suspended for their involvement in the Statler Hall protest, came to court in support of the three student defendants.
Almosawi called the administration’s action against the protesters “hypocritical” in light of the recent arrest of Noah Rebei ’25, a student who was found under the bed of a female student. She emphasized how the suspended students were called a threat to campus security while a student who potentially posed a real threat to a woman’s safety has yet to receive any acknowledgment from campus administration.
“Cornell will do anything they can to protect their bottom line,” Almosawi said. “That means pressing charges against peaceful protesters — their own students. But when students are actually in danger of sexual violence, they will do very little to protect these students.”
Ximena Balli is a Sun Contributor and can be reached at [email protected].
Correction, Oct. 7, 6:30 p.m.: A previous version of this article included an incorrect graduation year for Sriram Parasurama.