Dr. Aafia Siddiqui’s trial will begin on Tuesday, January 19th 2010 at 9:00am.
New Yorkers will gather in front of Federal Court at 500 Pearl St in lower Manhattan from 8 to 9 am at Federal Court Building in solidarity with Dr. Aafia Siddiqui.
In Pakistan Dr Aafia Siddiqui is considered to be a ‘Daughter of the nation”. The Pakistani Parliament passed an overwhelming resolution in support of her and has forced the government to pay for her legal defense in U.S. courts.
Dr. Aafia Siddiqui’s torture and secret detention by U.S. forces in Afghanistan aroused enormous anger and indignation. Her continued imprisonment in solitary confinement in U.S. prisons and the continuing brutal strip searches that she is subjected are internationally condemned.
Dr. Aafia is a 36-year-old Pakistani woman who is a U.S. educated neuroscientist. She was illegally kidnapped with her three young children in Karachi, Pakistan in 2003 and taken to U.S. custody in Afghanistan, where she was held in secret detention and tortured for 5 years. She was shot and severely wounded during an interrogation by FBI agents in July 2008. She is charged with attempted murder of FBI agent(s) in Afghanistan. According to the prosecutors and all U.S. officials, she has no links to any ‘terrorist organizations’. Forensic evidence supports Dr Aafia Siddiqui’s innocence. Dr. Aafia’s fingerprints were NOT on any gun, nor her DNA nor any residue nor any bullets.
The only fact that all witnesses agree on is that Dr. Aafia herself was shot by U.S. personnel then taken from Ghazni to Bagram and finally flown to New York to be charged. Dr. Aafia Siddiqui at every court appearance continues to refuse her lawyers, to declare to the court that she has been tortured and to decry the pain of strip searches.
Her sister Dr. Fowzia Siddiqui, and family, her friends and her lawyers believe her continuing statements that she was tortured in Afghanistan and the children were terrorized in US custody. The family and friends have fought for support from the Pakistani government and international human rights organizations.
Stand for humane treatment and stand against injustice! Standing for Dr. Aafia brings light to all missing persons, victims of extraordinary rendition and people held in secret prisons. It sends the message that all human beings, especially – our sisters – Muslim women have rights!
I can never forget the way you have treated me -- but I will forgive."Dr. Aafia to Judge Berman
Facebook Group:
Dr. Afia Siddiqui - Prisoner 650
http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=21777867538&ref=ts
Release Dr. Afia Siddiqui! (Urgent Appeal)
http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=28530506102&ref=ts
Please sign The Petition
http://www.petitiononline.com/af258633/petition.html
Spread the word by email & SMS to all your contacts so as to create more pressure.
1 comment:
It's sad to note that the "champions of democracy" and their leader, the Rajni kant of London could protest on MA Jinnah Road over the flogging of a girl in NWFP (it has yet to be decided whether the video was real or fake) but they remain criminally silent on the issue of Dr.Aaafia Siddiqui, a Karachiite, who was "sold" like others for $$$ by the then BIG BOSS of theirs, Musharraf!!! So much for siding wid the US?
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