by Andy Worthington
March 28th was the seventh anniversary of the day that Pakistani neuroscientist Dr. Aafia Siddiqui and her three young children were reportedly abducted in Karachi, leading to Aafia’s disappearance for over five years — when she was apparently held in secret prisoners and subjected to appalling abuse — before she resurfaced in Afghanistan and supposedly attempted to shoot a number of US soldiers.
Numerous commentators have denounced the trial as a sham, and today, protestors around the world called for justice for Aafia Siddiqui. Further details can be found on the website of the Justice for Aafia Coalition, including a campaign pack (PDF), which contains a detailed report on the background to the story, and contact details for letters/emails to Aafia, the US and Pakistani governments and the UN.
- Was she indeed kidnapped with her three children in Karachi on March 28, 2003, and subsequently rendered to a secret prison, where she was raped and tortured for five years? Binyam Mohamed, the British resident who was released from Guantánamo in February 2009, has stated that he saw Aafia Siddiqui in Bagram, and other former prisoners have spoken about “The Grey Lady of Bagram,” Prisoner 650, who they believed was Aafia.
- Where are her children?
- If Aafia Siddiqui was indeed held in secret US custody for over five years, was the story of the attempted shooting of the US soldiers in July 2008 a cynical set-up, designed to ensure that she could be transferred to the US and tried, convicted and imprisoned without the true story coming to light?
Thank you Andy for exposing what appears to be an act of Gestapo terror! Please, please continue to use your legitimacy on this woman’s behalf.