Dr Fowzia Siddiqui has been trying to exonerate her sister with little to no help from the Pakistan government Photo CAGE
World – The recent developments surrounding Dr. Aafia Siddiqui’s case have once again thrust her story into the global spotlight. After years of separation, her sister, Dr. Fowzia Siddiqui, was given permission to see Aafia at Federal Medical Center, Carswell, where she is imprisoned. This encounter, marked by emotions and long-awaited conversations, was seen as a ray of hope. However, the optimism that emerged from this reunion was short-lived, as it has now been revealed that Siddiqui has been stopped from meeting her sister.
After the first of her three meetings, Siddiqui was filled with optimism that she could help improve her sister’s imprisonment conditions while they try to exonerate her. However, to do this, Siddiqui required specific documentation from the Pakistani Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Documents that were never handed over despite a court order.
“The court had given them a direction that before I leave, which is on 4 August, they should provide at least 10 days before. The last date for them to provide those documents was the 24th [July]. We received nothing from them until the 1st August and even what we received were redacted copies and some media reports which we can just Google and nothing of substantial worth. They were withholding hundreds of pages and documents that would help us exonerate Aafia.”
For Siddiqui, there is no reason, legal or otherwise, for Aafia to have been taken from Afghanistan to the US and put on trial there. Both the Pakistani Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the State Department have decided to withhold crucial information and documents.
“It’s all a mistrial but in order to prove that we need certain documents from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, from the government of Pakistan and also from the US State Department. How did they bring her [to the US]? Where is the paperwork transferring Aafia, who was shot and was severely injured in that state, to the US?”
Unprecedented oppression against Siddiqui
Aafia has also been placed in what is termed “the hole which is a form of solitary confinement. She has also been barred from seeing anyone from the outside including her lawyer Clive Stafford Smith.
“This is the worst form of solitary confinement in which you can have no access whatsoever to anything. You’re just in a jumpsuit sitting in this small three by three space or something with a bucket for a bathroom kind of thing. It’s worse than the medieval dungeons it seems and this is happening in the modern-day world where they claim to be champions of human rights. The lawyer was very upset. I think he needed to get a court order or something to just get to see [her].”
The denial of proper legal visits and communication with her lawyer not only undermines the principles of a fair trial but also raises broader questions about the respect for human rights.
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A glimmer of hope
Amidst the adversities and disappointments, a glimmer of hope emerged through a limited email communication channel set up by Smith. Although she is only allowed to use it twice a week, it is a welcomed addition and a way to keep in contact with her family.
“Just yesterday I got the first email and I had written an email and then I got the response that Aafia had received it and she was thrilled to have received that. Clive actually did tell her about the passing of our mother. That email was a bitter sweet email in which she was glad to be in contact with me and very sad about our mother. Then she mentioned a dream in which she realised that Allah (SWT) had told her about the passing because she saw our mother in paradise. Being there stuck, in that hole, deprived of all human contact, she in her five minutes of email access was comforting me. I had everyone to comfort me and she’s there all alone.”
Aafia’s story encapsulates both the darkest aspects of a flawed justice system and the indomitable human spirit that can persevere even in the most trying of circumstances. As her family continue their tireless quest for transparency, fairness, and justice, her case stands as a poignant reminder that the pursuit of human rights is an ongoing struggle, and that the glimmers of hope that emerge, no matter how fleeting, can be sources of inspiration for a world in need of change.
