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Donate to Dr. Aafia's support fund!
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The Government of Pakistan is now providing a legal defense for Dr. Aafia. However there is still a great need for financial support. Her case requires advocacy work, educational materials and outreach as well as investigations into the whereabouts of Dr. Aafia's missing children. Take action here! |
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Free Dr. Aafia
LATEST NEWS & EVENTS |
Greetings!
This is the family of Dr. Aafia's official source for news, updates, action alerts and events related to Dr. Aafia Siddiqui's plight and court case.
Please FORWARD this email with your friends and family and encourage them to subscribe. We protect your privacy and your time, so we will not share our email list with anyone nor will we spam you.
May God bless you!
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A note of thanks to all supporters
The family of Dr. Aafia would like to express our appreciation to all the supporters who organized the many events and conducted the various seminars and prayers for Dr. Aafia during the month of Ramadan. From groups and individuals in Pakistan, the United States and other countries, we were heartened by the continued show of empathy and goodwill.
We would also like to thank the, literally, thousands of people who sent cards and letters to Aafia. Even though the prison will not confirm what was actually delivered to her, we know for a fact that she is aware of your support and efforts.
May God bless each and everyone of you and keep you and your loved ones safe, prosperous and content.
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Court updates: More hearings and date changes
On September 23, 2009, another pre-trial hearing was held by Judge Richard Berman in New York.
This was not well publicized and
many key decisions were made which are summarized below:
- Judge Berman did not force Dr. Aafia to attend the hearing
- Judge Berman found that there was no conflict of interest between the hired attorneys and the Government of Pakistan.
- Judge Berman asked for a brief to determine whether attendance by Dr. Aafia is required in court going forward.
- The Prosecution informed the Court that one of their main witnesses was currently hospitalized, and requested an extension of the trial date.
Post-hearing update:
Judge Berman ruled in favor of the prosecution by granting an extension to the trial date from Nov. 02, 2009 to Jan. 18, 2010.
The hearing scheduled for September 29 has been cancelled.
The next public hearing is set for Tuesday, October 13, 2009 at 1:30PM. (NOTE: the time may change as the judge has previously changed times at the last minute)
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Children protest for Dr. Aafia
KARACHI (Sept. 27, 2009) A group of children staged a protest rally at the Karachi Press Club on Sep 27, 2009 asking for the release of Dr Aafia. The rally was arranged by PASBAN. Click here to view photos. News coverage here. |
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Important court actions that are lost in the "fine print"
 Despite his previous comments expressing concerns over the forced strip searches on Dr. Aafia, (conducted every time she is brought to court, is visited by her lawyers and etc.) Judge Berman has so far refused to formally make a ruling. The public display of a reasonable and humane posture on the part of the judge is lacking action and demonstrates no real shift or answer to the problem. While Judge Berman has formally admitted the legal team appointed by the Pakistani government, he has insisted on the continued retention of U.S. taxpayer funded CJA lawyer, Dawn Cardi, despite Dr. Aafia's strong rejection to and distrust of her.
On Sept. 02, Judge Berman sided with the prosecution when he used the court's "discretion" to deny the defense's request to use Jury Questionnaires. This item was "missed" by most of the press reports. (NOTE: These questionnaires are critical in cases such as this where there has been so much negative publicity for so long. By denying the defense this mechanism to qualify potential jurors, Judge Berman has provided the prosecution another advantage and reduced the chances for a fair jury.)
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Urdu Article - How others treat their own
Full article available here. |
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Ramadan for Dr. Aafia, Eid Disappointment for her mother & family
Dr. Aafia spent her Ramadan alone in her solitary cell. We have no confirmation that she was provided food at the appropriate times. We know she was not given a meal schedule by the prison system. We only have confirmation that she received the prayer timings and fasting schedule mailed by her family.
Despite attempts by family to inquire about her conditions for Ramadan, the only response received was that "...MDC is following all the rules to a 'T'..." whatever that means. No clarification was provided. A request for meal logs has gone unanswered. Considering that Dr. Aafia is monitored and the observations are logged every 20 minutes, this should not have been difficult to provide.
Dr. Aafia has received some mail from friends and supporters. ,It seems a lot of mail is being received but MDC has not confirmed how much they are actually delivering to her. One concern cited has been the tiny size of her cell.
Dr. Aafia did request some specific books and most have been sent to her by her family but some were not available in soft cover. A list of these will be posted on the website in case someone knows of a soft cover version that can be sent to her.
An Eid "Disappointment" - A promise, not a request, left unfilled in POOR TASTE!
At the end of Ramadan, on the occasion of Eid, officials played an unnecessary psychological ploy on Dr. Aafia's mother by promising her a phone call from Dr. Aafia - a call which never came. At this time the officials are not being named because it is not clear if they instigated the ploy or were simply messengers trying to act in good faith.
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From The Archives: The intriguing case of Dr. Aafiya Siddiqui - by Yvonne Ridley
The Pakistan Government has been ordered to secure the release of scientist Dr Aafiya Siddiqui from US custody.The Islamabad High Court made the ground-breaking directive in a move welcomed by her family, supporters and anyone who wants to see justice delivered to a woman who has been trapped in a hellish existence for the last six years. However, not everyone is happy that Justice Raja Saeed Akram has ordered the government to work towards bringing Aafiya home. As I discovered a few days ago during a visit to Pakistan it seems her ex-husband Dr Muhammad Amjad Khan has been briefing against the mother of his three children. .... .... Why he chose to break his silence after six years is not immediately obvious ... unless you buy in to the crazy theory that he was instrumental in his wife's arrest and disappearance. .... I am not sure what are his motives but, in a conference I gave at the Islamabad National Press Club this week I threw out a challenge to Dr Khan to either put up or shut up. In his February 18 interview he said: "Aafia's release cannot be secured by propagating stories based on falsehood and deception," and then he went on to tell a lie so blatant that I can no longer remain silent, and here's why.... Full Story here.
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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!
God Bless,
The Free Dr. Aafia Campaign |
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