OUR CRY FOR AN OPPRESSED LADY
Languishing
in a prison in the U.S.A., sentenced to a prison
term of 86 years is a frail, 50 kg Pakistani lady,
Dr.Aafiyah Siddiqui who suffers from multiple
sicknesses. On 30 March 2003, Aafiyah with her three
minor children were forcibly abducted from a taxi in
Karachi by the Pakistani intelligence agency (ISA)
and handed over to US authorities. After her
abduction and enforced disappearance began her long
five-year agonizing ordeal of secret imprisonment at
several black detention centres such as the infamous
US Bagram detention centre in Afghanistan as well as
other unknown prisons. She suffered years of
interrogations, brutal torture and rape. No one knew
of the whereabouts of Dr.Aafiyah and her three minor
children. The one year old baby was killed during
the abduction In 2003, her eldest son, Ahmed, still
a minor, was released into the custody of Aafiya’s
family. The son and the family were warned not to
say anything. In April 2010, a 12 year old girl was
dumped outside the residence of Dr.Aafiya’s sister
in Karachi, Pakistan. Unidentified men claimed
that she was the daughter of Dr.Aafiyah. At the time
of the abduction, the daughter was 7 years. The baby
who would be 7 now is still missing. Dr.Aafiyah
claimed that whilst in detention she was shown a
picture of her baby lying in a pool of blood.
Dr.Aafiyah was sentenced in the U.S.A. to 86 years
in prison.
Should she remain alive, she will be 122 years on
‘release’. The charges against her were outrageous.
She was indicted on charges related to attempted
murder and assault of United States nationals and
officers. She was accused of having grabbed a M-4
rifle from a US army officer and fired it at another
US army officer. Then she assaulted a US army
interpreter and a FBI agent. It was never explained
how this weak 50 kg woman surrounded by three US
Army officers, two FBI agents and two Army
interpreters, managed to grab an M-4 rifle from an
Army officer, then assault three of them, open fire
at close range, hit no one, but she was severely
wounded. She was the only one who was shot.
The trial was a massive farce.
WE THE CONCERNED AND AGGRIEVED CITIZENS OF
THE WORLD CALL ON THE GOVERNMENT OF THE UNITED
STATES TO SHOW COMPASSION AND RELEASE THE AILING
DR.AAFIYAH ON HUMANITARIAN GROUNDS.
WE DRAW ATTENTION TO ANOTHER TRIAL BY A
MILITARY COURT IN THE U.S.A. SEVERAL U.S. SOLDIERS
WERE CHARGED FOR HAVING MURDERED IN COLD BLOOD 24
SLEEPING IRAQI CIVILIANS, INCLUDING 10 WOMEN AND
CHILDREN AND AN AGED MAN IN A WHEELCHAIR. ALL OF
THOSE WHO HAD PARTICIPATED IN THIS COLD-BLOODED
MURDER HAD CONFESSED THEIR GUILT. BUT CHARGES
AGAINST SIX WERE WITHDRAWN, ONE WAS ACQUITTED, AND
FOR THE LEADER OF THE MURDER SQUAD THE JUDGE
RECOMMENDED ONLY A DEMOTION IN HIS ARMY RANK. THE
PROSECUTOR HAD ASKED FOR A THREE MONTH JAIL
SENTENCE, BUT EVEN THIS WAS REFUSED BY THE JUDGE.
BUT AAFIYAH HAS BEEN SENTENCED TO 86 YEARS
FOR CHARGES WHICH ARE OUTRAGEOUSLY FALSE. SHE DID
NOT KILL ANYONE NOR DID SHE EVEN WOUND A SINGLE ONE
OF THE GROUP OF U.S.A SECURITY PERSONNEL
INTERROGATING HER AT THE SECRET BLACK DETENTION
CENTRE.
OUR PETITION IS AN APPEAL TO THE CONSCIENCE
AND HEART OF THE U.S. AUHTORITIES TO RELEASE
DR.AAFIYAH WHO HAD BEEN IN U.S. CUSTODY FOR FIVE
YEARS AND WHOSE CHILDREN WERE TORN FROM HER.
THE TREATMENT METED TO HER IN HER FIVE YEARS
OF ENFORCED DISAPPEARANCE IS INHUMAN
AND THE SENTENCE OF 86 YEARS IS INHUMAN.
THE KILLING OF HER ONE-YEAR OLD BABY IS
INHUMAN. DUMPING A 12 YEAR OLD GIRL OUTSIDE THE
RESIDENCE, WHO MAY OR MAY NOT BE AAFIYAH’S DAUGHTER
IS INHUMAN.
WE APPEAL TO THE U.S.A. AUTHORITIES TO
ADDRESS ALL THESE ACTS OF INHUMANITY PERPETRATED
AGAINST DR.AAFIYAH, AND TO RELEASE HER ON PURE
HUMANITARIAN GROUNDS.
THE UNIVERSAL MOVEMENT FOR HUMANITY AND
JUSTICE