Condemning 86-year jail term of Dr. Aafia Siddiqui, Aafia Movement holds peaceful demos in different cities of the country
KARACHI/ISLAMABAD, Sep 22 (SABAH): Terming the day of September 23, on which Dr. Aafia Siddiqui was handed 86-year jail by a US court, as the day of the murder of justice, Aafia Movement held peaceful protest demonstrations in different cities of the country on Sunday.
The demos were held in Karachi, Islamabad, Lahore, Peshawar, Faisalabad, Gujranwala, Sialkot, Abbottabad and other cities, participated by a large number of citizens and human rights workers.
On the occasion, Global Aafia Movement chairperson Dr. Fowzia Siddiqui said that the government of Pakistan should take urgent steps to secure early release of Dr. Aafia Siddiqui. She said Aafia is a Pakistani citizen and has been languishing in an American jail illegally for more than last twenty years. She said on September 23, 2010 an American judge Richard Berman in a biased court proceeding sentenced Aafia for 86 years solitary jail. She was not even given her right to defend herself.
She said that Aafia’s legal team has filed litigation against the atrocities of the prison in Texas and FOIA in Washington and a case with Judge Berman. Aafia will not be forgotten #the struggle continues.
Dr. Fowzia Siddiqui said that the government of Pakistan must own the Aafia’s case and fight for her rights with the same vigor as any other sovereign country does for its citizens as they would own their own sister or daughter.
Dr. Fowzia said the government should write a strong letter to President Biden demanding clemency and supporting Aafia’s petition on humanitarian grounds, highlighting the violation of her basic human rights and the need for urgent medical care. She said that the government should prioritize Aafia’s release in top-level meetings during the PM’s visit to the US from September 21st to 30th.
Dr. Fowzia said that the government should raise Aafia’s case at the UN human rights meetings, emphasizing the need for international pressure to secure her release. She asked the government to demand for Aafia, just as the US demands for Shakil Afridi, a Pakistani traitor citizen.
She suggested that the government should arrange and send a delegation to the White House to plead Aafia’s case with passion and sincerity. The government’s inaction on Aafia’s case is a violation of her rights as a citizen and a betrayal of the trust placed in them by the people of Pakistan. Aafia’s release is a matter of national dignity and a test of the government’s commitment to protecting its citizens, she said. “Let us join hands to demand justice for Aafia and pressurize the government to take concrete steps towards her release. We owe it to Aafia, and to ourselves to ensure that no citizen is left behind,” concluded Dr. Fowzia Siddiqui.