Students advocate for wrongfully imprisoned scholars in Washington, DC – Student Advocacy Days 2025

From March 26 to 27, 2025, over 30 Student Advocacy Seminar students from Mansfield University, Roger Williams University, the University of British Columbia, the University of Iowa, and the University of Wisconsin-Madison convened in Washington, DC for SAR’s annual US Student Advocacy Days. The event, hosted by the Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS), was an opportunity for students to advocate on behalf of wrongfully imprisoned scholars around the world, gain hands-on advocacy experience, and come together during a challenging time for the higher education community in the US. 

Learning from experienced advocates—and each other

The first day of the event began with a lively Q&A session with SAR’s Executive Director Robert Quinn, with many inquiring about what students and faculty could do to safeguard their own campuses from attacks under the current administration. The conversation further reinforced the need for the higher education community in the US to unite and find solidarity.

“A primary tool of oppression is not violence, but rather isolation. If you fight the isolation, you fight the fear.”

 

Later in the day, civil society advocates joined students to offer their experience and expertise in a series of panels. Ali Arab, an Associate Professor at Georgetown University and Human Rights Researcher at Hostage Aid; Khosro Sayeh Isfahani, a researcher at the Atlantic Council; and Sophie Richardson, Co-Executive Director of Chinese Human Rights Defenders advised students on conducting human rights research and shared stories about conducting advocacy in contexts such as Iran and China.

In addition to engaging with panelist speakers, students learned from one another; they shared their experiences with the Student Advocacy Seminars, detailed ongoing campaigns to free wrongfully imprisoned scholars on their respective campuses, and worked collaboratively in mock congressional meetings to better prepare for their upcoming meetings with government leaders. 

“I was able to listen to and learn from people and advocates from multiple backgrounds to further my understanding of advocacy, academic freedom, and action.”

Students work collaboratively at AAAS to prepare for meetings with Congressional members.

Student at the University of British-Columbia shares updates from her campus’ current advocacy campaign.

 

Advocating for wrongfully imprisoned scholars

The following day, students spread across Capitol Hill and met with their respective congressional offices. They advocated for Scholars in Prison such as Professor Ilham Tohti in China, Dr. Ahmadreza Djalali in Iran, and law student Marfa Rabkova in Belarus, stressing the need to support those who taught, wrote about, or researched disfavored topics. Significantly, they reported receiving an engaged and sympathetic response from the offices they spoke with. In total, students met with 22 congressional offices.

“I learned how to communicate across the aisle to work for a common goal.”

University of Wisconsin-Madison students outside the office of Senator Tammy Baldwin.

Roger Williams University students and Jewher Tohti outside the office of Rep. Gabe Amo.

Mansfield University students and Rep. Glenn Thompson promote a bracelet of solidarity with imprisoned scholar Marfa Rabkova.

Overall, students described US Student Advocacy Days as a rewarding experience that offered practical insight into the inner workings of the US Congress and valuable first-hand experience with human rights advocacy. Moreover, the students’ efforts contributed to tangible results. On April 9, 2025, the office of Representative Gabe Amo of Rhode Island, whom students from Roger Williams University met during Student Advocacy Days, became the congressional advocate for Uyghur scholar Ilham Tohti through the Defending Freedoms Project at the Tom Lantos Human Rights Commission. SAR applauds this development and the advocacy of students who participated in bringing about this change.

While most of the students’ congressional advocacy focused on scholars outside the US, the gathering of students in DC also allowed them to realize the value of collective advocacy during a challenging moment for higher education in the US. 

“My time during Student Advocacy Days was transformational to my confidence in advocacy and love of the craft.”

SAR is grateful for and proud of the work of these students and encourages them to bring what they’ve learned at Student Advocacy Days back to their campuses and beyond. 

 

Join us next year! SAR’s Student Advocacy Days provides students with practical tools and knowledge to advocate on behalf of imprisoned scholars and the opportunity to collaborate across campuses. Start a seminar on your campus to join us at the next Student Advocacy Days.