Shareef Aleem trial: 'Not guilty'

The jury in the trial of Shareef Aleem came back with a not guilty verdict here on Feb. 5. Shareef Aleem, his family and his supporters packing the courtroom celebrated this verdict from a multinational jury. It was the end of a torturous, two-year battle.

Shareef Aleem, second from right, with family members. WW photo: Larry Hales

In the first trial in the case against Aleem, he was charged with second-degree aggravated assault, which carries a minimum of four years in prison and a maximum of 12. That trial ended in a hung jury.

But Adams County declared after that trial that the case would be tried again.

The criminal charges stemmed from a University Board of Regents meeting on Feb. 3, 2005. Shareef Aleem stood up in the public meeting regarding the university’s attacks on Ward Churchill—which supporters argued were meant to censure the professor.

Aleem declared that the students were not being allowed to speak and that they should be allowed to address their support of their professor and their opinions.

Aleem was immediately set upon and what ensued was a cop riot. Aleem was pushed from behind by one and pulled from the front by another.

Adams County asserted that Shareef Aleem’s attempts to move away from the cop and remove the cop’s hands from his person constituted second-degree aggravated assault.

However, the jury saw it for what it was and after a day-and-a-half of deliberations, came back with a not guilty verdict.