An Important Message: From the United Kingdom to America For Aafia!
I can say with complete confidence that no other journalist has investigated the story of Dr Aafia Siddiqui as thoroughly as I have … it has involved dark journeys around the world meeting with people from the murky world of intelligence in America, Pakistan and Afghanistan.
It is a journey which has been punctuated with death threats and even being caught up in a firefight in which my film editor and self had to dodge bullets as Taliban forces clashed with Afghan police. Our video evidence from within the jail where Dr Siddiqui was shot by US soldiers at close range forced the prosecution in New York to change and alter their case.
As a result none of the CSI evidence supported the prosecution. There was no gunshot residue, no fingerprints and no spent bullets to support the soldiers' claims that this tiny, frail woman had over-powered one of them, seized his gun and fired at them. The story simply did not stack up.
In addition, I have taken and filmed testimony from a number of former, credible detainees held in Bagram without charge or trial who said they saw Dr Siddiqui being held in the most appalling conditions – forced to use an open toilet and showers in full view of prisoners and US soldiers.
Since she was kidnapped in 2003, along with her three children (all under the age of five at the time; and two of them are US citizens) from a taxi in the streets of Karachi – and again we have uniformed, eye witness accounts – Dr Siddiqui has been on a horrific journey which has broken UN conventions, international treaties and defied logic.
The truth is slowly coming out and history will judge those involved in her kidnap, rendition, torture and false imprisonment harshly … but how will history judge you? Being silent is no longer an option – will you have the courage to stand with those like myself who believe in justice and the law or will your silence continue to support the dark forces at play who work tirelessly to suppress the facts through tissues of lies and fear?
Dr Aafia Siddiqui is the most wronged woman on the planet – and that is the view of a growing number of people of faith and no faith. Standing on the high moral ground used to be lonely but it's getting pretty crowded here now … come and join us and help. This is not a matter of Faith, it is an issue of what is morally just and right and what is plainly wrong.
Yvonne Ridley
Journalist and Vice President of the European Muslim League
