NCPCF Statement for Repatriation of Aafia
NCPCF STATEMENT CALLING FOR THE REPATRIATION OF Dr. AAFIA SIDDIQUI
The National Coalition to Protect Civil Freedoms (NCPCF) requests that all organizations concerned with justice and human rights, especially faith-based organizations (including American Muslim Organizations) to go on record as requesting the repatriation of Aafia by sending statements to the U.S. and Pakistani governments calling for her repatriation.
During the last few weeks there has been speculation in the news about the possibility of Aafia being repatriated to Pakistan pursuant to a treaty for the repatriation of prisoners, or in connection with a prisoner exchange, or by some other method. After consulting with people involved in the discussions, we have concluded that negotiations between the U.S. and Pakistan have reached a critical stage, and that statements of organizations and individuals supporting repatriation would provide a much needed impetus to drive negotiations to a successful conclusion. Dr. Fowzia Siddiqui, Aafia’s sister, supports this initiative and is grateful to all those who communicate with the US and Pakistani government’s on her sister’s behalf.
Dr. Aafia Siddiqui is presently held as a political prisoner in federal prison in Carswell Texas in virtual seclusion while her health deteriorates. She is revered in Pakistan as the “Daughter of the Nation” for her courage and tenacity in surviving 5 years of “disappearance” during which she was tortured and abused and her children abducted. She was never charged with engaging in terror. Instead, she was convicted in a US court for attempting, while in custody in Afghanistan, to assault and murder a group of armed soldiers who themselves shot and almost killed her. No forensic evidence supported her conviction of attempted murder, and it is widely understood that the charges against her were an absurd effort to frame an individual – Aafia – who was herself a victim of attempted murder and assault by the soldiers. History will eventually decide who was to blame for Aafia’s unjust treatment and suffering, but in the meantime, she should be returned home to Pakistan by whatever means possible.
Contact Person:
Stephen F. Downs, Executive Director of NCPCF; [email protected], 518-767-0102
Member Organizations
American Muslim Alliance (AMA) – Bill of Rights Defense Committee (BORDC) – Center for Constitutional Rights (CCR) – Committee to Stop FBI Repression (CSFR) – Creating Law Enforcement Accountability and Responsibility (CLEAR) – Defending Dissent Foundation (DDF) – Desis, Rising Up and Moving (DRUM) – Friends of Human Rights (FHR) – International Action Center (IAC) – Islamic Circle of North America Council for Social Justice (ICNA-CSJ) -Muslim Civil Liberties Union (MCLU) – Muslim Justice Initiative (MJI) – Muslim Legal Fund of America (MLFA) – National Lawyers Guild (NLG) – National Liberty Fund (NLF) – The Peace Thru Justice Foundation (PTJF) – Project Support and Legal Advocacy for Muslims (Project SALAM) – United National Antiwar Coalition (UNAC) – Universal Justice Foundation (UJF).