matrix
21st February 2010, 08:11 AM
Aafia Siddiqui supporters stage rally in London
Protestors in London have asked the Pakistani government to do more to help Dr. Afia Siddiqui, who is currently in prison in the United States.
http://uc-njavan.ir/images/ktzzgfbkspc8ezp9u43.jpg (http://uc-njavan.ir/)
Activists gathered outside the US Embassy in London on Saturday to protest against her sham trial in a US court, in which the Pakistani scientist was found guilty of attempting to kill US military personnel and FBI agents.
The absence of credible evidence in Siddiqui's case has outraged many Pakistanis and other members of the Islamic ummah, who feel she was railroaded.
A US court found Aafia Siddiqui guilty of attempting to murder US citizens while she was detained for questioning in Afghanistan.
Siddiqui was charged with shooting at FBI agents and US military personnel in a police station in Ghazni, where she was being interrogated in 2008.
She was convicted in a New York court on February 3, 2010.
Her lawyers argued that there was no evidence to show Siddiqui ever fired the weapon presented in court.
Siddiqui vehemently denied all the charges against her during the trial, calling them 'ridiculous' and insisting that she was framed, jailed, and tortured by US agents in Pakistan and Afghanistan.
"This is a verdict from Israel, not America. The anger should be directed where it belongs," Siddiqui said shortly after the jury left the room.
Relatives of Siddiqui have strongly criticized the US justice system for its ruling.
Human rights organizations have also expressed doubts about the accuracy of the US account of the event.
Many political activists believe Siddiqui was Prisoner 650 of the US detention facility in Bagram, Afghanistan, where they say she was tortured for five years until one day US authorities announced that they had found her in Afghanistan.
Siddiqui may be given a life sentence by the judge, who will probably not make a decision on the case until May.
The conviction immediately triggered protests in various parts of Pakistan, where anti-US sentiments were already running high.
Dozens of Pakistani nationals were secretly transported to US prisons after the 9/11 attacks.
Pakistani opposition parties accused former President Pervez Musharraf of handing hundreds of Pakistanis over to the US authorities.
The Pakistani Foreign Ministry says Washington has handed over about 60 Pakistani prisoners to Islamabad and negotiations are under way for the release of the remaining prisoners.
Protestors in London have asked the Pakistani government to do more to help Dr. Afia Siddiqui, who is currently in prison in the United States.
http://uc-njavan.ir/images/ktzzgfbkspc8ezp9u43.jpg (http://uc-njavan.ir/)
Activists gathered outside the US Embassy in London on Saturday to protest against her sham trial in a US court, in which the Pakistani scientist was found guilty of attempting to kill US military personnel and FBI agents.
The absence of credible evidence in Siddiqui's case has outraged many Pakistanis and other members of the Islamic ummah, who feel she was railroaded.
A US court found Aafia Siddiqui guilty of attempting to murder US citizens while she was detained for questioning in Afghanistan.
Siddiqui was charged with shooting at FBI agents and US military personnel in a police station in Ghazni, where she was being interrogated in 2008.
She was convicted in a New York court on February 3, 2010.
Her lawyers argued that there was no evidence to show Siddiqui ever fired the weapon presented in court.
Siddiqui vehemently denied all the charges against her during the trial, calling them 'ridiculous' and insisting that she was framed, jailed, and tortured by US agents in Pakistan and Afghanistan.
"This is a verdict from Israel, not America. The anger should be directed where it belongs," Siddiqui said shortly after the jury left the room.
Relatives of Siddiqui have strongly criticized the US justice system for its ruling.
Human rights organizations have also expressed doubts about the accuracy of the US account of the event.
Many political activists believe Siddiqui was Prisoner 650 of the US detention facility in Bagram, Afghanistan, where they say she was tortured for five years until one day US authorities announced that they had found her in Afghanistan.
Siddiqui may be given a life sentence by the judge, who will probably not make a decision on the case until May.
The conviction immediately triggered protests in various parts of Pakistan, where anti-US sentiments were already running high.
Dozens of Pakistani nationals were secretly transported to US prisons after the 9/11 attacks.
Pakistani opposition parties accused former President Pervez Musharraf of handing hundreds of Pakistanis over to the US authorities.
The Pakistani Foreign Ministry says Washington has handed over about 60 Pakistani prisoners to Islamabad and negotiations are under way for the release of the remaining prisoners.