Over 400 Georgetown University graduates and current students signed an open letter demanding the release of Georgetown postdoctoral researcher Badar Khan Suri, who federal immigration officers detained March 17 for alleged pro-Hamas social media posts.

The letter comes less than a month before Khan Suri’s May 6 hearing in immigration court, and as of April 13, a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement online locator shows Khan Suri is in a detention facility in Alvarado, Texas. The letter, whose 438 signatories include graduates from up to 40 years ago, references Georgetown University Law Center (GULC) Dean Treanor’s defense of GULC’s right to control its curriculum, upholding its independence from political pressure.

The letter said Khan Suri’s detention shows federal attempts to attack academic freedom.

“His persecution represents a fundamental violation of academic freedom, due process, and the Jesuit values that define Georgetown University,” the letter reads. “We see his detention clearly for what it is: an attempt to instill fear, silence critical thought, and erode solidarity among students and scholars of varying backgrounds and identities. We reject this attempt and demand his immediate release.”

In addition to advocating for his release, the letter calls on Georgetown to take a “firm and public stance” on its dedication to Khan Suri’s legal case. The letter also calls on all educational institutions to protect academic freedom and members of their academic community, including researchers and professors. 

The letter said federal actions against academic scholars should be a warning sign for the educational community. 

“Activists, political scholars, and news outlets have correctly warned that if left unchallenged, these actions set a precedent that should concern all who value freedom of speech,” the letter reads. “Today, it is Dr. Badar Khan Suri. Tomorrow, it could be anyone whose intellectual contributions and individual identities threaten an increasingly authoritarian administration.”

“At the same time, we want to be clear: We unequivocally condemn the detention of Dr. Suri not only for the grim picture it paints for our future, but because we accept not one single attack on a Georgetown community member,” the letter added. “If this is the last, it remains one too many.”