April 10, 2012
On Saturday 31st
March 2012, human right campaigners rallied outside the U.S. embassy in London,
marking the 9th anniversary of Aafia Siddiqui’s abduction, rendition and
false imprisonment. A video featuring
her case, discussions with Asim Qureshi (Director of Cage Prisoners) discussing
her legal battle, Pakistan’s role, her children & the issue of repatriation;
speeches from the rally provided by Uthman Lateef & Adnan Rashid (Hittin
Institute) who recently visited Aafia’s family in Karachi & Omar Deghayes
(former Guantanamo detainee) can be viewed below:
London Joins Global Call: PAKISTAN DEMAND U.S. REPATRIATE AAFIA
I
spoke to a solidarity campaigner who attended the rally and asked her
why she was there. She explained:
"It’s the 2nd time I have been at
the anniversary of this rally. When I
heard about Aafia’s case I felt how ordinary she was & how similar she is
to me. Like me she is a mother,
educated, feeling attached to her deen & trying to live by it and not
preach. I feel really strongly that what
happened to her could have happened to me.
It’s a frightening injustice what happened to Aafia & an awakening
to me of the incongruity of the world and that being a good person doesn’t
prevent you from suffering an injustice."
Due to the corruption
of the Pakistani regime, I suggest that you also please forward copies of your communications
to 'Aafia solidarity campaign groups’ (listed below), so they have an account of
your support. The 'Justice for
Aafia Coalition’ have provided the names & contact details of a number of
US & Pakistani officials who they are asking you to contact to demand Aafia’s
immediate repatriation (see below).
Solidarity Campaigner, U.S Embassy, Grosvenor Square, London, 31st March 2012
Aafia’s Plight
Much
has been reported about the circumstances leading to Aafia’s 86 year prison
sentence passed by the U.S. in 2010. In
brief, In 2003 Aafia and her 3 young children left their home in Karachi to
catch a domestic flight but failed to reach the airport. Shortly after, Aafia’s mother was warned to
remain silent about their disappearance if she wanted to see them again. Their whereabouts were unknown for the next
five years. Spokespersons for Pakistan’s
interior ministry & unnamed U.S. officials initially confirmed Aafia’s
detention but within days, officials from both governments denied Aafia was in
their custody. In 2004, the FBI placed Aafia’s
photograph on their website as one of their most wanted suspects.
 In
2008, the U.S. administration reported that Aafia had been arrested by Afghan
police with her 11 year old son, Ahmad, outside the governor of Ghazni’s
compound, allegedly with handwritten notes referring to a "mass casualty
attack". Following her arrest, the U.S.
then alleged that Aafia ran out from behind a curtain, unshackled and fired at
U.S. officers and though they did not sustain injuries; Aafia was shot twice in
the process.
Aafia said that the
bag in which the evidence was found had been given to her, being unaware of its
contents & that the handwritten notes were forcibly copied from a magazine
whilst her children were threatened; she denies picking up the gun or
attempting to shoot anyone. Though the
alleged incident occurred in Afghanistan & Aafia is not a U.S. national, she
was rendered to the U.S. in August 2008 and charged with assault & attempted
murder of U.S. personnel. In September
2010, Aafia was sentenced to 86 years in prison. Much of this account has been sourced from
the Justice for Aafia Coalition http://justiceforaafia.org/
The FBI account
Conversely, an FBI
press report published on their New York Field Office website in 2010, I
believe supports Aafia’s claim of injustice.
Their report of the incident which led to Aafia’s conviction says:
'On July 18, 2008, a team of U.S. servicemen and law
enforcement officers, and others assisting them, attempted to interview
SIDDIQUI in Ghazni, Afghanistan, where she had been detained by local police
the day before. The U.S. interview team included, among others: three officers
and employees of the U.S. Army; two officers and employees of the Federal
Bureau of Investigation; and two U.S. Army contract interpreters.
The interview of SIDDIQUI was to take place at an Afghan police compound
in Ghazni. In a second-floor meeting room at the compound—where SIDDIQUI was
being held, unbeknownst to the U.S. interview team, unsecured, behind a
curtain—SIDDIQUI grabbed a U.S. Army officer's M-4 rifle and fired it at
another U.S. Army officer and other members of the U.S. interview team. During
the shooting, SIDDIQUI exclaimed her intent and desire to kill Americans.
What happened to Aafia & her children after their
abduction in March 2003?
An
intelligence officer spoke to Ahmad the moment he was released from U.S. custody
& Ahmad gave the following account:
'I do not remember
the date, but it seems a long time ago.
I remember we were going to Islamabad in a car, when we were stopped by
different cars & high roof ones.
 My mother was
screaming & I was screaming as they took me away. I looked around & saw my baby brother on
the ground & there was blood. My
mother was crying & screaming. Then
they put something on my face. I smelt & don’t remember anything. I woke up, I was in a room. There were American soldiers in uniform &
plain clothes people.
They kept me in
different places; if I cried or didn’t listen they beat me & tied me &
chained me. They were English speaking,
Pashto & Urdu speaking. I had no
courage to ask who they were. At times
for a long time I was alone in a small room.
Then I was taken to a small children’s prison, where there were lots of
other children.
American consular that came to me in Kabul jail
said your name is Ahmad; you are American, your mother’s name is Aafia Siddiqui
& your younger brothers dead. After
that they took me away from the kid’s prison.’
Source - Yvonne Ridley, uploaded by
'theislamicdawa’ on 24.09.11 http://youtu.be/pNfwPl5zbgc
The Justice for Aafia
Coalition provides that 'Aafia and her children were apprehended by more than
15 agents. Aafia’s crying children were
placed into one car, she into another, where she was immediately hooded and
drugged. When she awoke she found
herself tied was tied to a gurney in a place that, she said, could not have
been Karachi as the air was very dry.’
In April 2010, a 12
year old girl was left outside the residence of Aafia’s sister’s home in
Karachi by unidentified men, claiming she was Aafia’s missing daughter. Senator Talha Mahmood revealed that Maryam
had been recovered from Bagram in the custody of an American official and that
she had spent the past seven years in a "cold, dark room" at the base.
 Baby Suleman, was 6 months old when abducted
from his mother and is believed to have been killed in custody as American
officials informed Ahmad, whilst in custody that his brother was dead and Aafia
was also reportedly shown pictures of baby Suleman, lying in a pool of
blood.Suleman’s whereabouts remain unknown.
Solidarity Campaigners, U.S Embassy, Grosvenor Square, London, 31st March 2012
Sindh Province Police confirm their involvement in arresting and
abducting Aafia & her children in 2003
In February 2011, Stephen Lendman
published an article, 'Important New Information in Aafia Siddiqui’s case’
which discusses the collusion between Pakistan & Washington in Aafia’s
case.
Stephen describes the mysterious
death of Pakistani journalist Najeeb
Ahmed who spent years investigating Aafia’s case. 'On December 9, 2009, he told a public rally
that government forces arrested, abducted, and handed her over to FBI agents. Interrogated initially in Pakistan, she was then transferred to Afghanistan and
imprisoned. The day after speaking publicly, Ahmed mysteriously died,
reportedly of sudden heart failure. His research files disappeared, were never
recovered, leaving some observers to believe clear Washington/Pakistani
involvement.’
Stephen refers to a report
published by 'The International Justice Network’ (IJN) (non-profit human rights
organization): 'It's new report explains titled, "Aafia
Siddiqui: Just the Facts," saying: "IJN's preliminary investigation has revealed shocking new evidence
that contradicts repeated (US/Pakistani) claims" of neither country's
involvement until July 2008. Recorded witness testimonies and corroborating
evidence showed they lied. In
secretly recorded testimony, Superintendent of Sindh Province Police confirmed
his personal involvement in arresting and abducting Siddiqui and her three
small children in March 2003. Local Karachi authorities were involved,
participating with Pakistani intelligence (ISI), CIA and FBI agents.’
http://rense.com/general92/impo.htm
Insight from Pakistani National, Asim Ghani, Senior Assistant Editor, the News Karachi
Asim
Ghani, Senior Assistant Editor at the News Karachi, a Pakistani national who
lives in Karachi and is thus exposed to the Pakistani public and political
energy generated by Aafia’s plight kindly answered some of my questions: http://www.thenews.com.pk/
1.
What are your views
on the Aafia's case?
'Regardless
of the doubts over the American account of her alleged attack on the Marines,
for which she was sentenced for 86 years by what Cindy Sheehan described as a
"kangaroo court," in my view the main element to the controversial case is the
ceaseless pressure on Pakistan, its pliable governments and its military to toe
the US line in the region.’ Her case 'is definitely a murky
affair but her punishment is far too severe; even if the US version of that
incident is correct. Compare this to the
infuriating leniency shown to, say, Bales, who killed 17 Afghan civilians, most
of them women and children.
A colleague, Lubna Jerar Naqvi,
who is secular and often writes articles on women's issues, made this comment
when I asked for her views (not her exact words): Rather than punishing Dr Siddiqui, the
Americans should have punished, for their laxity the Marines who allowed a diminutive,
100-pound woman to snatch that rifle.'
2. In your view, where do you think Pakistani
public opinion lies in relation to Aafia's case? What are the Pakistani public calling for and
who are they making these demands to? Since
Aafia's conviction in U.S. in 2010, Aafia Campaign networks are calling for her
repatriation to Pakistan. What steps have the Pakistani public made to
support this call?
'Pakistani public opinion is
against her sentencing, not only because of its controversial nature and the
element of Islam, but because of Pakistanis’ deep resentment against the United
States. This resentment is not confined
to Muslims: the most anti-US Pakistani I know is a Christian colleague, who
describes the United States as "the Genghis Khan of our times." He has family living in the US but refuses to
join them.’
But this
public resentment is yet to take the form of a nationwide campaign to demand
her release. The main reason for this
failure is that the political parties, most of whom (including the mainstream
religious parties, their fiery rhetoric apart) are eager to maintain workable
relations with Washington - refuse to make any real effort for Dr Siddiqui’s
release.’
3. Is it well known and
documented, that Pakistani authorities over the past 10 years have been
complicit in handing over their citizens to the U.S. without due legal process
and whether money has been exchanged for this? Any examples of well known
cases? Any links to this being reported by mainstream Pakistani press? Is
this practise known to be still happening?
'This is well known and documented
and their complicity goes beyond ten years; even before the "War on Terror." I do not believe the practice has ended.’
Two links
shared:
Farhat
Taj, in February 2012 wrote: 'The Pakistani military authorities have not only been
killing, capturing and handing al Qaeda militants based in Pakistan to the US
but have also been taking pride in doing so. Former dictator Musharraf admits
in his book (In the Line of Fire, pg 237) that his government captured and
handed over 369 al Qaeda militants to the US. He also writes that Pakistanis
received 'millions of dollars’ as prize money from the CIA for capturing those
militants.’
http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?page=2012 218story_18-2-2012_pg3_6
4.
What steps have the
Pakistani authorities taken to effect Aafia's repatriation to Pakistan &
when were these steps taken? Has the U.S. responded and if so how?
Aafia has still not been repatriated to Pakistan. What further steps do
you feel the Pakistani authorities need to take, to effect Aafia's
repatriation?
'Rhetoric apart (e.g. the Pakistani Prime Minister’s describing her as a
"daughter of the nation" in reaction to her sentencing), the Pakistani
authorities have not made any effective efforts for her release and
repatriation. With the present Pakistani government probably being the most
pro-American government in the country’s history, I do not think it is even
willing to seek her release, and thereby risk Washington’s annoyance.’
5. It is alleged that the Pakistan authorities are complicit in the
abduction of Aafia and her children. Aafia's mother has suggested that
whilst the Pakistani authorities show their public support for Aafia, in
reality they have done little. Do you believe that the Pakistani
authorities are now sincere in supporting Aafia and her family’s solidarity
campaign?
'Yes, they are complicit and thereby lack any sincerity of effort.’
6. Politically, two different leaders have been in
power in Pakistan since Aafia's abduction in 2003. Do you see any
difference in relation to their behaviour and intent towards Aafia and their
support of the American 'War of Terror'?
'I see no difference at all; if anything, the situation has sharply
worsened in the four years since the present government took over. Pakistanis have still not forgiven the United
States for pressuring Pakistan into releasing Raymond Davis, who murdered two
Pakistani young men with his Glock. Why?
Because he was "our diplomat," to quote President Obama. The same
"diplomat" was involved in a crime in Colorado in October. (The
Independent's story on the latter incident described Davis as a CIA killer).’
7. As a
Pakistani citizen do you believe that letters sent from people globally
requesting Aafia's immediate repatriation to, Asif A Zardari, Syed Y R Gilani,
Rehman Malik and Makhdoom Qureshi will have an impact in relation to Aafia's
calls for repatriation? (As requested by the Justice for Aafia
Coalition). How do you feel that International efforts should be best
directed to assist Aafia's repatriation and generally?
'The letters could be effective
only if they are accompanied by, say, frequent protests outside Pakistani
embassies and consulates abroad. And these two should be backed by more
intensive use of alternate media in a campaign for her release.’
America funding Political Demonstrations in Pakistan
Washington gave $36,607 to
the Sunni Ittehad Council (organised anti-Taliban rallies) in 2009. The Council was created in 2009 'to counter
extremism. It groups politicians and clerics from Pakistan’s traditionalist
Barelvi movement, often referred to as theological moderates in the Pakistani
context. The American money was used to
organise nationwide rallies against militants and suicide bombings, the embassy
official said. The demonstrations received widespread media coverage, and were
some of the first against extremism in the country. The rhetoric at the rallies was mostly
focused on opposing militant attacks on shrines.’
Another example
of the U.S. working to pay indigenous communities to serve their own political agendas and then no doubt, display photographs of these people demonstrating
as evidence that their 'War of Terror' is one of support & liberation of local communities.
Muslims depicted by Western Media as a collective mass with no
differentiation
Dr Uthman Lateef, Director of the
Hittin Institute speaking at the rally on Saturday shared some important
observations:
"there are some people who are humanised & then there are
others who are dehumanised, there are some people who are personalised and some
people who are depersonalised; there are some people who are remembered &
there are some people who are reminded to be forgotten & it’s our sister
Aafia Siddiqui that in some respect represents an inversion… with this
respect. In the western world you will
find that western citizens are often times defined by way of their exclusive attributes,
by way of their individuality, by way of their exclusive uniqueness but those
of the east & particularly the Muslims are defined in metaphoric terms that
simply emphasises their indistinguishability, & the narrative of the
western media discourse is what? It’s to represent us as a collective mass and
not through singularity but what makes this event as its continuing every year …
unique, is in some respect it…represents a reverse of that inversion, it’s not
about the mass, it’s about the singularity of a single Muslim women called
Aafia Siddiqui but what makes all of that even more important, is that, that
single women represent the whole of the ummah.
By way of the singular we understand the whole."
hittininstitute.com
It’s easy to understand Dr
Uthmans reasoning, simply be reflecting on any one of the numerous reported cases. Consider 911 for example, a horrendous list of almost 3,000 (CBB’s website) people murdered
and contrast that to the violence created by the 'War of Terror’ in Iraq, where
a mortality study conducted in 2006, reported approximately 600,000 deaths
between 2003-2006 - http://mit.edu/humancostiraq/reports/human-cost-war-101106.pdf
Further clarity; whilst the CBB’s
website reports the deaths of 911 with a clear title 'how many people were
killed on 911?’ when I attempted to search the site for 'how many people have been killed in the Iraq War’, there was no corresponding report. Instead their search engine linked their report
on Iraqi’s (Muslims) murdering other Iraqi’s:
'At least 200 people have been killed in a number of explosion in
northern Iraq. A further 200 people have been hurt after at least four
blasts, which targeted a group of people who follow a religion different to
most in Iraq. The attacks happened in the villages of Al-Khataniyah and
Al-Adnaniyah, in the north of Iraq near Mosul. The attacks are some of the
worst to have happened in Iraq since the war there four years ago. The people
targeted are part of a group - also called a sect - called the Yazidi. Most
other people living in Iraq are muslims. There have been problems in the area
between the Yazidi sect and muslims recently.’
http://news.bbc.co.uk/cbbcnews/hi/newsid_6940000/newsid_6947200/6947275.stm
The Injustice in Aafia’s case
Things that shout out on
brief observation.
Why would
a single women attempt to take a gun from Americans who kill allies with
friendly fire. This would reasonably be
attempted suicide. These men are trained
to shoot to kill. If a suspected
terrorist is aiming a gun at them she would have been killed; make no mistake
in that. The interview team consisted of
7 people.
I do not think
it a coincidence that Aafia’s children were returned separately. Aafia has still not returned home. This continues to put duress on those who can
speak out against her captors, not to do so, whilst she is still in their
hands.
 No
incriminating forensic evidence exists.
It’s my understanding that her fingerprints were not found on the gun, no
bullet holes to evidence that she fired a gun, no independent eye witnesses to
say they saw her hold a gun. http://rense.com/general92/impo.htm
You
cannot abduct a person illegally and then claim to bring them before a court to
administer legal justice. It’s a mockery
to the very name 'Justice’. Asim Qureshi
explained that Aafia was not extradited from the U.S. to Afghanistan, she was rendered.
Investigative journalist Yvonne Ridley provides further examples of
injustice in this case:
- 'The alleged crime happened in
Afghanistan, a country with its own judicial system and - unless it is under
official US occupation - the trial should have been held there.
- The defendant, born in Pakistan
and a citizen of that country, was denied access to consular officials in
Afghanistan or New York for more than 30 days after being shot in July 2008 -
this is a complete violation of the Vienna and Geneva conventions.
- The defendant was interrogated by
the FBI while heavily sedated hours after major surgery was performed in Bagram
- this is in complete contravention of US and international laws.
- One independent Afghan witness, a
transator/guide for the FBI, was bribed with a green card and the promise
of US citizenship to lie under oath in court.
- Spent bullets removed by US
investigators from the prison cell where the alleged crime took place, were
subsequently lost while other crucial evidence was tampered with.
- Evidence from a secret court
hearing held in the USA in 2003 about Dr Aafia Siddiqui was not allowed to be
introduced in Berman's kangaroo court. This evidence would have documented that
US intelligence knew exactly where Dr Aafia Siddiqui was being held after her
disappearance in 2003.
- Berman refused to allow any
evidence which would have shown that Dr Aafia Siddiqui was set up and
subsequently shot in a bungled US intelligence operation in July 2008.’
http://www.cageprisoners.com/our-work/opinion-editorial/item/3841-dr-aafia-siddiqui-for-the-9th-anniversary
U.S. RELATIONSHIPS WITH
PAKISTAN ARE NOT ROCKY; THE U.S. MAY BE IN BED WITH PAKISTANS POLITICIANS; BUT U.S.
TERROR CRIMES EVIDENCE THEY ARE AT WAR WITH PAKISTANS' CIVILIANS
Pakistani's demonstrate against Raymond Davis murdering their fellow countrymen
When I heard about the case of CIA agent Raymond Davis, another American
who murdered two Pakistani’s in Lahore in cold blood on 27th January
2011, I was shocked but not surprised to learn that after initially being
jailed and charged by Pakistani authorities with double murder and the illegal
possession of a firearm he was then released on March 26th 2011. Judges acquitted him of all charges & he
immediately departed Pakistan for the U.S.
A third Pakistani man was also killed in the incident in a 'hit &
run’ by a car coming to assist Davis while speeding on the wrong side of the
road.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Raymond_Allen_Davis_incident
'Davis was freed from a jail
in Lahore after relatives of the Pakistani victims received as much as $2.3
million in "blood money" compensation…Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton
expressed gratitude to the victims’ families in Pakistan and said that the
Justice Department has begun an investigation of the shooting that led to Davis's
arrest in Lahore on Jan. 27'
http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2011/feb/21/raymond-davis-pakistan-cia-blackwater
'US officials have reiterated
their concern about Lahore's Kot Lakhpat jail where Davis is being held, saying
he had been moved to a separate section of the prison, that the guards' guns
had been taken away from for fear they might kill him, and that detainees had
been previously killed by guards. They are also concerned about protesters
storming the prison or that he might be poisoned, and that dogs were being used
to taste or smell the food for poison.
However, the authorities in Pakistan stressed the stringent measures
they have put in place to protect Davis in Kot Lakhpat following angry public
rallies in which his effigy was burned and threats from extremist
clerics.’
http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2011/feb/21/raymond-davis-pakistan-cia-blackwater
Not only did the U.S. manage to have their national returned within 3
months of him murdering Pakistani citizens, they also managed to change
security procedures in the jail where Davis was held and receive words of
assurance from Pakistani officials about the safety and welfare of their
citizen. The U.S. military are known to
commit massacres of civilians abroad in their 'War of Terror', including the
murder of women, children, the sick & elderly. The U.S. is known to
torture and degrade detainees (we have the photos to prove it); yet how many authorities
of other nations have raised such concern over the treatment of their nationals
detained at the hands of the U.S. and received such warm assurances from the U.S.
about the welfare of their detained citizens in
response?
Raymond
Davis U.S citizen, MURDERED 2 in Lahore, freed by Pakistani Court & returns
to U.S within 3 months; Aafia Siddiqui, Pakistani Citizen, abducted in 2003,
convicted of assault with INTENT to murder U.S. personnel, imprisoned for 86
years by U.S Court.
mswithacause
SOLIDARITY
All
speakers at the rally spoke about the need for a united front & solidarity.
In this instance I recalled Nelson
Mandela’s quote:
'Only free men can negotiate; prisoners
cannot enter into contracts. Your freedom and mine cannot be separated’
I reflect on whether the families that accepted compensation for their
loved ones who were murdered by Davis could be considered free people?
Money cannot free us and though I realise I am fortunate not to live in
poverty; until we unite together in solidarity we will never be free of this
oppression & brutality by terrorist regimes.
When you look at the facts, it’s
like much of what is apparent; reality disguised by words & systems that profess to soothe & provide freedom; yet work to enslave, torture &
silence.
No
law can legitimise 'state’ terrorism, due to a simple fact of reality;
morality, righteousness & truth are above all their laws.
We need a global revolution to remove and jail politicians that support and instruct the murder and terror of
civilians (including those who fight to defend civilian rights against the same).
In
the UK, I feel our focus must be directed towards our own government and
attempting to prevent its acts of terror both nationally &
internationally. We need to do more and
clearly attendance at the annual stop the war march is not enough.
Asalamu alaikum,
peace be upon you.
mswithacause
FURTHER INFORMATION:
Links
to some Aafia solidarity campaigns:
You can write to Aafia: AAFIA SIDDIQUI # 90279-054, FMC CARSWELL,
FEDERAL MEDICAL CENTER, P.O. BOX 27137, FORT WORTH, TX 76127, U.S.A (Justice
for Aafia Coalition)
Contact
details of those the 'Justice for Aafia Coalition’ are asking you to contact,
to ask for Aafia’s immediate repatriation:
Eric Holder: Attorney
General, U.S. Department of
Justice, 950
Pennsylvania Avenue, NW Washington,
DC 20530-0001, Tel:
202-353-1555, Email:
Hilary Clinton:
Secretary of State, U.S. Department of
State, 2201 C Street,
N.W. Washington DC 20520, Tel:
+1 202 647 4000, Fax:
+1 202 261 8577, Email:
Mr. Asif Ali Zardari:
President of Pakistan, President’s
Secretariat,
Islamabad, PAKISTAN, Email:
92-51-9204801-9214171,
Fax 92-51-9207458
Mr. Syed Yousaf Raza
Gilani: Prime Minister of
Pakistan, Prime
Minister House, Islamabad, PAKISTAN,
Fax: + 92 51 9221596,
Email:
Mr. Rehman Malik:
Minister of Interior, Room No. 404,
4th Floor, R Block,
Pak Secretariat, Islamabad,
PAKISTAN, Fax: +92 51
920 2624, Tel: +92 51
Makhdoom Shah Mahmood
Qureshi: Foreign Minister,
Ministry of Foreign
Affairs Islamabad, Pakistan, Tel: +
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