Ahwar Sultan, Jana Al-Akhras and Jineen Musa address the media at an organized press conference in front of Thompson Library Thursday. Credit: Sandra Fu | Photo Editor
One Ohio State student was issued a summons for criminal trespassing and another was held under investigative detention following a press conference outside of Thompson Library Thursday.
Jineen Musa, co-president of Ohio State’s chapter for Students in Justice in Palestine and a third-year in health sciences and health information management and systems, was issued a summons for violating the university’s space standards, while Ohio State graduate student Ahwar Sultan and his attorney Jana Al Akhras — the subjects of the press conference, who are suing the Trump administration for the termination of his immigration record — were detained due to the same violation.
Several on-campus organizations, including SJP, initiated a press conference outside Thompson Library for Sultan, a second-year graduate student in comparative studies and an Indian citizen, to provide updates surrounding his lawsuit against the Trump administration and his criticisms of the university’s response.
Musa could not be reached by the time of publication, and Sultan declined to speak on the record.
University spokesperson Chris Booker said in an email Sultan and Al Akhras were “briefly detained” by the Ohio State University Police Department due to a violation of the amplified sound provisions of the university’s space standards. Booker said they will not face any criminal charges.
Booker confirmed Musa was issued a summons by OSUPD for criminal trespass after “repeatedly being asked to abide by the university space standards.”
“[Musa] will also be referred to the appropriate offices for review,” Booker said in a statement.
Investigative detention, also known as an investigatory stop, is a nonintrusive detention that requires reasonable suspicion, according to Cornell Law School’s Legal Information Institute website. During an investigative detention, an officer can make “reasonable inquiries to confirm or dispel their suspicions,” according to the website.
A summons is a form that alerts the defendant they are being sued or are required to appear in court, according to the Cornell Law School’s Legal Information Institute website.
In a video obtained by The Lantern, Musa can be seen speaking with two officers from OSUPD, who issued her a summons for criminal trespass and for violating the university’s space standards by using amplified sound — more specifically, a microphone — during the press conference.
Booker said university space standards include restrictions on amplified sound before 5:30 p.m. on weekdays, and “additional restrictions” are put into place during finals week.
According to the space standards, amplified sound is considered a form of restricted sound, which is defined as “noise disrupting the function of the University.” In addition, restricted noise is “not permitted outdoors Monday through Friday prior to 5:30 p.m.”
