More than 11,000 sign letter to judge over sentencing of NYC student protestor

More than 11,000 people have signed a letter addressed to a US judge in support of a Palestinian-American student who is set to be sentenced next week over "hate crimes".

Signatories have asked US District judge Richard M Berman to “grant leniency” to City University of New York student Tarek Bazrouk, 20, and allow him to complete his sentence under supervised release, rather than serving additional jail time. 

“Tarek is a young man, who has faced deep personal trauma throughout his 20 years of life,” the letter said. “At the time of his sentencing, he will have spent nearly 6 months inside the Metropolitan Detention Center, a notoriously violent facility with inhumane conditions."

Supporters of Bazrouk said that a "lengthy sentence" would cause trauma and harm.

“Tarek, like many other young men in the criminal justice system, would be immeasurably harmed and further traumatized by a lengthy sentence in federal prison. We believe that restorative justice will be achieved through Tarek's personal growth and evolution as a man and valued community member, not through a prison sentence.”

Bazrouk is facing a maximum sentence of five years’ imprisonment and a fine of $250,000. He pleaded guilty to one count of federal hate crime charges during a status hearing on Wednesday.

The letter says that if Bazrouk were to be released, “collective community support” will ensure that Bazrouk would work towards completing his bachelor’s degree, and that he would "abide by all probation and/or community control guidelines" and "enroll in any and all counseling as suggested by the Court".

Bazrouk was arrested by the FBI in May on "hate crime charges" and tried in a New York court in June of physically assaulting pro-Israel Jewish protestors on three separate occasions between 2024 and 2025. 

Bazrouk was accused of assaulting three people - two of whom were students - in April 2024, December 2024 and January 2025.

In May, the US attorney’s office for the Southern District of New York said in a press release that “The Civil Rights Division will continue to relentlessly pursue allegations of antisemitic violence and will not stop until justice is served for the victims and their families. Under Attorney General Pam Bondi’s leadership, we will use all available resources to investigate and charge those who target and assault others because of their faith.”