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This day in 2010 Richard Berman Condemned Aafia to 86 Years of Isolation
In response, on Sep 28, 2010, a million people poured into the streets of Karachi to peacefully express their support for Dr. Aafia Siddiqui following the actions of Richard Berman on Sept 23, 2010. This has to date been the largest public rally in recent Pakistani history and one that stayed true to Aafia's request that no violence be done in her name.
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A Reflection from British Author and Commentator, Andy Worthington:
September, 2012
I’m sorry to report that it’s two years since the Pakistani neuroscientist Dr. Aafia Siddiqui received an 86-year sentence in a court in New York...
The trial of Aafia Siddiqui, which culminated in her sentence, and which I described at the time as “barbaric,” appeared to be a cover for a much grimmer story — one of the darkest in the whole of the torture-filled “war on terror” — in which, on the basis of alleged connections with terrorism that have never been proved, she had disappeared with her children in Pakistan in March 2003 and was then held in a “black site” until her engineered reappearance in Ghazni in 2008.
According to the US authorities, after being captured in a bewildered state, she allegedly tried and failed to shoot the Americans guarding her, which provided an excuse to render her to the US to be put on trial — an unusual move given that most people accused of anti-American activities in Afghanistan did not end up in the US — and for her to be silenced as a result of the 86-year sentence handed down after a trial that critics called “a grave miscarriage of justice,” and to be held in isolation in a psychiatric prison/hospital for women in Carswell, Texas, notoriously referred to as the “hospital of horrors”, where her health continues to deteriorate, and where she is denied meaningful contact with her family...
As time passes ...several significant figures have very publicly expressed their disgust at Aafia’s plight, and the severity of her sentence. Recently, for example, former US Attorney General Ramsey Clark visited Pakistan and stated, “Justice demands that Aafia Siddiqui should immediately be released. I haven’t witnessed such bare injustice in my entire career.” In addition, Khurshid Kasuri, Pakistan’s foreign minister under Pervez Musharraf, the President at the time of Aafia’s disappearance, has stated, “I’m so sorry for handing over the innocent Dr. Aafia Siddiqui to the Americans. It was my biggest mistake ever.”
Furthermore, just this week US Senator Mike Gravel, accompanied by the attorney Tina Foster of the International Justice Network, also visited Pakistan, where, as the Express Tribune described it, they “said that the Musharraf regime had illegally kidnapped Dr. Aafia along with her three children from Karachi in March 2003, and handed her over to the US government for illegal interrogation and secret detention based on completely false information.” The Express Tribune added that Sen. Gravel “maintained that Dr Aafia’s trial in the United States was illegal,” and “added that the US government had no moral or legal justification for their actions.”
Both he and Tina Foster stressed, however, that the Pakistani government “would have to take serious action if it wanted Dr. Siddiqui to be repatriated.” Foster said, “We have received no cooperation from the Government of Pakistan in securing Dr Siddiqui’s repatriation to Pakistan. There’s been a lot of talk, but no concrete steps have been taken despite numerous requests for assistance.” She added, “I’ve come on a humanitarian mission to ask Pakistani leadership for its assistance in returning Dr. Siddiqui to Pakistan. It’s obvious that the will of the Pakistani people is being ignored by their leadership.”...
Mr. Worthington's full posting can be viewed here
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NATION Editorial: Ramsey Clark Weighs In |
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Aug 28, 2012
NATION Editorial
Vietnam War-era US Attorney General Ramsey Clark, who has developed a formidable reputation as a humans rights advocate, addressing a seminar in Karachi on Sunday by the Afia Siddiqui Movement, said she was an innocent citizen of Pakistan, and had become a victim of international politics. His rejection of the charges against her, were a reminder that the lengthy jail term she is serving is meant to be for the crime of pointing a snatched weapon at an interrogating officer. Her sister, Dr Fauzia Siddiqui, stated her to be a daughter of the Muslim Ummah, and that she deserved better treatment.
Confidence in the justness of the American justice system had been one of the biggest barriers to accepting that an injustice has been done to Dr Siddiqui.
However, Mr Clark’s declaration should go some way in changing this opinion, especially since he is speaking about a system he personally presided over. As Mr Clark said, freeing her would help remove an irritant from US-Pakistan relations. It is only officialdom’s stubbornness which is keeping her behind bars.
Mr Clark did not mention one of the main reasons Dr Siddiqui was still in jail, and that is the lack of sufficient diplomatic measures. The government remains a silent spectator in the Afia Siddiqui case, and does not use all the measures at its disposal. It must, because there can be no greater national interest than the freedom of one of its citizens, or of its citizens to be with their children, from whom Dr Siddiqui is still parted. There seems to be no area where the government has succesfully defended the rights of its citizens. Dr Afia Siddiqui is simply another example of this.
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Aafia Conviction A Crime - Sen. Gravel |
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The NEWS
NATION
Sept. 15, 2012
 click on image to see the Press Conference
Former American Senator Mike Gravel has said that convicting Dr Aafia Siddiqui is a crime committed on the American land, adding that she was kept in illegal detention for a long time.
He expressed these views at a seminar titled “Implementation of Human Rights at International Level” organised by the Judicial Activism Panel where he was the chief guest.
Gravel said Aafia was not allowed to contact her lawyer or her relatives and they had no clue about her whereabouts for a long time.
He said Dr Aafia’s fundamental rights were infringed upon in America and the US government was constantly showing stubbornness over the issue. He said Dr Aafia was kidnapped in 2003 but she was tried in court of law only two years before.
Dr Aafia’s American lawyer, Tina Foster, said she was recently appointed as the counsel for Dr Aafia, adding that the previous lawyers for Dr Aafia did not plead her case well. She said legal requirements were not fulfilled in Aafia’s case.
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Imran Khan Demans Release of Aafia from US |
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Sep 12, 2012
The NEWS.com
 ISLAMABAD: Chairman Pakistan Tehreek e Insaf (PTI) Imran Khan has demanded from the United States to release Dr Aafia Siddiqui immediately.
The PTI Chief was talking to the former US senator Mike Gravel during their meeting here on Wednesday. Dr Fauzia Sidiqui was also present in the meeting.
On the occasion, Imran Khan said that the PTI would continue their efforts for the release of Dr Aafia.
He said that his party is not against any country but oppose polices. Innocent people are being killed in drone attacks, he added.
Imran said the former US senator confirmed that the release of Dr Aafia Siddiqui has not been demanded on the government level.
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On the occasion of Children's Day 2012, Dr. Aafia's children Ahmed and Maryam asked about the whereabouts of their missing sibling, Suleman.
In March 2003, Dr. Aafia and her three young children were kidnapped and renditioned from Pakistan. The youngest child, Suleman (6months old at the time) remains missing. Many reports have cited security officials as stating that the baby was killed shortly after being taken by Pakistani security forces. The government has yet to provide clear answers or an unambiguous position on the fate of baby Suleman.
Suleman now is emerging as a growing symbol of the thousands of the children who have been disappeared in Pakistan and elsewhere for political reasons.
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Family Cautiously Welcomes Pak PM Initiative to Form a Committee to Secure Dr. Aafia's Release |
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ISLAMABAD, Aug 28, 2012
 The Prime Minister of Pakistan, Raja Pervez Ashraf, announced the formation of a special committee headed by Foreign Minister Hina Rabbani Khar to look into the case of Dr Aafia Siddiqui. The Prime Minister took the decision in a meeting with Ramsey Clark, former Attorney General of USA and Dr Fauzia Siddiqui, the sister of Dr Afia, who called on him at the PM House here in Islamabad. Other proposed members of the committee include ministers for law, interior and human rights. (for more, see here)
Dr. Aafia's family has reacted cautiously to the Prime Minister's proposed committee to secure Dr. Aafia's release. The committee will be a welcome development if it acts seriously to achieve results rather than being another paper entity whose sole purpose is to be a press release to delay and diffuse the matter once again. The actions required of the Pakistani government are not difficult nor complicated but they do require principle, boldness and urgency. Based on the discussions between former US attorney general, Ramsey Clark, Prime Minsiter Ashraf and Dr. Fauzia, the committee should be able to accomplish its actions within a week if it is to be considered genuine.
Failure to act within this reasonable time frame would just confirm that those in control of the government remain unable or unwilling to seek Aafia's repatriation.
A failure will also further erode confidence in an establishment that unfortunately uses committees, commissions and resolutions only as a means to gloss over serious problems rather than actually work towards actionable solutions and real results. As Mr. Clark reminded us all, Aafia's repatriation is a relatively simple matter if approached confidently and correctly. Yet, if the government is unable to act resolutely on something simple, it will be clear that there is no ability to deal with more complex matters like drones, load shedding, security, law and order, education, healthcare, separation of Baluchistan, fragmentation of a national identity, religious intolerance, abuse of women and minorities and the list goes on...
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Former US Attorney General (AG): Imprisonment of Dr Aafia is Unjustified |
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Karachi - Aug 27, 2012
Former US Attorney General (AG) Ramsey Clarke stated that the imprisonment of Dr Aafia Siddiqui is an unjustified act. He said this while addressing a seminar, organised by Aafia Movement at a local hotel here.
Addressing the gathering, the former US Attorney General said that the relations between Pakistan and United States would strengthen after the release of Dr Aafia Siddiqui.
Clark added he will talk to US government for the release of Dr Aafia.
Former Chief Justice, Justice Saeed-uz-Zaman Siddiqui presided the session while former Law Minister Iqbal Haider, Justice (retd) Rasheed A Rizvi, former Attorney General Anwar Mansoor Khan, President Supreme Court Bar (SCB) Yaseen Azad and Dr Fauzia, sister of Dr Aafia Siddiqui attended the session.
Dr Fauzia in her address said that her sister is being victimised by the double standards of the justice system in the US for the last 9 years. She reiterated that the peaceful Aafia Movement will continue till Aafia's release.
Dr Fauzia welcomed the visit of former US Attorney General Ramsey Clark and termed it a positive step for future relations.
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Former US Attorney General Visits Dr. Aafia's Family |
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Aug 28, 2012
KARACHI: Ramsey Clark, former Atorney General of the U.S.A visited the home of Dr. Aafia Siddiqui on Sunday, 26th August 2012 . During the visit he met with Dr. Aafia`s Mother and her family. After the meeting they spoke to the media & Mr. CXlark stated that "Aafia is an innocent Pakistani citizen with whom injustice has been done. I will try to release her".
 
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Aafia Victim of International Politics: Ramsey Clark |
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Karachi, Aug. 27 (ANI): Former U.S. Attorney General Ramsey Clark has said that Dr. Aafia Siddiqui is innocent and has been victimised by the international politics for power.
“Dr Aafia Siddiqui was victimised by the international politics being played for power. I haven’t witnessed such bare injustice in my entire career,” the Daily Times quoted Clark, as saying.
“Neither did Dr Aafia kill anyone, nor did she attempt at. In fact she was shot thrice and should be released immediately,” he said, adding that relations between Pakistan and the U.S. could be strengthened through repatriation of Dr Aafia.
Clark expressed his intention to gather people in America, for a one-point agenda of Dr Aafia’s repatriation.
“Significant peace and justice activists will join me in promoting this agenda. Under the law, justice should be provided to each and everyone without any condition,” he said.
Clark hailed the role of Pakistani people and particularly lawyers, saying that the nation’s voice on state level could play a significant role in Dr Aafia’s repatriation.
He vowed that he would raise his voice for her repatriation at all levels in the U.S. A U.S. court had sentenced Dr. Aafia to 86 years in solitary confinement for attempting to murder trained soldiers, when she was in their captivity. (ANI)
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