Christian supporters of a Pakistani socio-political group 'Pasban', hold a rally demanding the release of Aafia Siddiqui, Sunday, May 30, 2010, in Karachi, Pakistan.
Coming EVENTS:
FAC Event, UK
Sat Jun 26 @14:00 - 04:00PM
Demonstration in Solidarity with Victims of Extraordinary Rendition
London, England
JFAC Event, UK
Sat Jun 26 @16:30 -
Justice for Aafia Siddiqui
Glasgow, Scotland
Mon Aug 16 @09:00am
Dr. Aafia Siddiqui's Sentencing Hearing
(Event items provided as information and does not necessarily imply sponsorship or endorsement by the family or the Free: Aafia campaign)
Also on the Official Family Site - freeaafia dot org
Dr. Aafia: Allegations & Facts
(From the Family of Dr. Aafia)
Allegations: Extraordinary Rendition… Torture… Kidnapping & Child Abuse:
Fact: Dr. Aafia alleges that she has been held captive for over five years, that she and her children were abducted and separated, two of who are still missing.
Fact: The FBI’s Seeking Information Alert states; "although the FBI has no information indicating this individual is connected to specific terrorist activities, the FBI would like to locate and question this individual."
Fact: The official charges against Dr. Aafia are that she assaulted U.S. soldiers in Ghazni, Afghanistan, with one of the servicemen’s own rifles, while she was in custody to be interrogated by them.
Fact: No U.S. personnel were injured.
Fact: Dr. Aafia was shot and survived surgery in the infamous prison in Bagram, Afghanistan.
Fact: The affidavit filed in the U.S. district court is NOT from an eye witness, but from a third party account of the events in Ghazni.
Fact: No one who was physically present at the incident has filed any sworn statement as to what actually happened in Ghazni.
Fact: Dr. Aafia categorically denies ever handling a rifle or pointing one at anyone.
Fact: To this day, Dr. Aafia has not been charged with terrorism.
The above items were posted at the Official Family Site:
The family of Dr. Aafia Siddiqui, Prisoner #650
here
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An active coalition:
Justice for Aafia Coalition here
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WHAT ABOUT THE CHILDREN?
Where is Suleman Siddiqui?
Today, on June 1 which is celebrated in many countries around the world as International Children’s Day, the Justice for Aafia Coalition is asking the Government of Afghanisistan and the US Government to disclose the whereabouts and welfare of Suleman Siddiqui, the seven year old son of Aafia Siddiqui who has been missing since 2003.
Maryam Hassan, founder of JFAC stated “we call upon the UN to instigate a full investigation into the disappearance of Suleman Siddiqui, the youngest child of Aafia Siddiqui. Suleman was last seen when only six months old, when apprehended along with his mother and siblings in Karachi in March 2003. Whilst his elder siblings were eventually recovered, after seven years Suleman’s fate remains unknown, with horrific rumours in circulation that he may have been killed in US custody.”
What we can say with certainty is that Suleman has been unjustifiably and forcibly separated from his family and denied any normal semblance of childhood. Since infancy he has been deprived of his basic rights, as enshrined in the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child; amazingly ratified by all governments save the U.S.A. His disappearance is in violation of International Law and has been the cause of acute suffering to his family.
We therefore urge the governments of the US, Pakistan, and Afghanistan to immediately disclose any information in its possession regarding the whereabouts and welfare of Suleman Siddiqui. Many months ago President Karzai pledged the return of Aafia Siddiqui’s children. Today, we ask President Karzai to fulfil that promise: If Suleman is alive he must be released and returned to Dr. Siddiqui’s family in Pakistan immediately. If not, as reports disturbingly suggest, there must be a prompt and independent investigation into his death and those responsible held to account.”
Aafia Siddiqui maintains that she was abducted by the Pakistani and US agents along with her three children in 2003 and taken to Afghanistan where she was detained by American forces at a secret prison at Bagram airbase for over five years. Aafia Siddiqui claims she was abused and tortured throughout her detention. Aafia Siddiqui was convicted in the US in February of this year in what was a grave miscarriage of justice for allegedly firing on US soldiers while in custody.
Aafia Siddiqui’s son Ahmed was released in September 2008 from Afghan custody, and her daughter Maryam mysteriously reappeared in Pakistan in April 2010 following years in Us custody in Afghanistan. Further details of the strange and shocking case of case of Aafia Siddiqui and her children.
Find this article at paxmundi.info
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Older Items of special note:
Aafia Siddiqui: Victimized By American Depravity By Stephen Lendman
www.countercurrents.org/lendman010410.htm - GO here
Excerpt from above commentary:
Aafia Siddiqui: Victimized by American Depravity
by Stephen Lendman
Wednesday, 31 March 2010
"Her trial proceedings were carefully orchestrated. Witnesses were either enlisted, pressured, coerced, and/or bought off to cooperate, then jurors were intimidated to convict, her attorney, Elaine Whitfield Sharp, saying their verdict was "based on fear, not fact."
On February 3, 2010, after a sham trial, the Department of Justice announced Siddiqui's conviction for "attempting to murder US nationals in Afghanistan and six additional charges." When sentenced on May 6, she faces up to 20 years for each attempted murder charge, possible life in prison on the firearms charge, and eight years on each assault charge.
In March 2003, after visiting her family in Karachi, Pakistan, government Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) agents, in collaboration with Washington, abducted Siddiqui and her three children en route to the airport for a flight to Rawalpindi, handed them over to US authorities who took them secretly to Bagram prison, Afghanistan for more than five years of brutal torture and unspeakable abuse, including vicious beatings and repeated raping.
Bogusly charged and convicted, Siddiqui was guilty only of being Muslim in America at the wrong time. A Pakistani national, she was deeply religious, very small, thoughtful, studious, quiet, polite, shy, soft-spoken, barely noticeable in a gathering, not extremist or fundamentalist, and, of course, no terrorist.
She attended MIT and Brandeis University where she earned a doctorate in neurocognitive science. She did volunteer charity work, taught Muslim children on Sundays, distributed Korans to area prison inmates, dedicated herself to helping oppressed Muslims worldwide, yet lived a quiet, unassuming nonviolent life.
Nonetheless, she was accused of being a "high security risk" for alleged Al-Qaeda connections linked to planned terrorist attacks against New York landmarks, including the Statue of Liberty, Brooklyn Bridge and Empire State Building, accusations so preposterous they never appeared in her indictment.
The DOJ's more likely interest was her supposed connection, through marriage, to a nephew of Khalid Sheikh Mohammed (KSM), the bogusly charged 9/11 mastermind who confessed after years of horrific torture. US authorities tried to use them both - to coerce KSM to link Siddiqui to Al-Qaeda, and she to admit his responsibility for 9/11 - something she knew nothing about or anything about her alleged relative.
Her trial was a travesty of justice based on the preposterous charge that in the presence of two FBI agents, two Army interpreters, and three US Army officers, she (110 pounds and frail) assaulted three of them, seized one of their rifles, opened fire at close range, hit no one, yet she was severely wounded.
No credible evidence was presented. Some was kept secret. The proceedings were carefully orchestrated. Witnesses were either enlisted, pressured, coerced, and/or bought off to cooperate, then jurors were intimidated to convict, her attorney, Elaine Whitfield Sharp, saying their verdict was "based on fear, not fact."
...Siddiqui is incarcerated in harsh maximum security solitary confinement at New York's Metropolitan Detention Center (MDC), denied all contact with friends and family, no mail or reading materials, or access to her previously allowed once a month 15 minute phone call to relatives.
Justice for Aafia Coalition (JFAC)
In February 2010, Muslim women in America, Britain, Canada, and Australia united in outrage over Siddiqui's treatment and bogus conviction, demanding her release and exoneration.
March 28 was the seventh anniversary of her abduction, commemorated by a global day of protest, JFAC saying it was "to have events, demonstrations, letter-writing campaigns, khutbahs (sermons or public preaching), etc. in towns and cities all over the world in solidarity with Aafia" - for justice, against sadism and barbarity against an innocent woman, guilty of being a target of opportunity, not crimes she didn't commit...
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You will find quite a bit on the actual trial by search engine. Try using:
oneheartforpeace Aafia Siddiqui ; Harpers magazine Petra ; and The Seminal Firedoglake Ondelette for Aafia Siddiqui or any similar combine with or without date - there are many other helpful sources such as cageprisoners.com and muslimsforjustice.org
For an earlier and thorough chronology on right bottom column GO here
Also see Aafia Siddiqui’s Daughter Surfaced?
ReplyDeleteBy: Mary Sunday April 11, 2010 9:06 pm at Empty Wheel