The Fight for Dr. Aafia Siddiqui’s Freedom Continues
In a disappointing move, one of Biden's last acts as president was to deny clemency to Dr. Aafia Siddiqui. Despite this, the global support for her cause inspires hope in us, that she will very soon be free.
The petition to Biden to grant Dr. Aafia Siddiqui clemency, thanks to the mobilisation of the community, garnered over 1.5 million signatures, making it one of the most signed one-time online petitions worldwide.
Dr. Aafia Siddiqui, who has spent over 20 years in detention for a crime she did not commit, continues to suffer. Her plight evokes images of torture, false imprisonment, abandonment, and the complicity of governments.
Although Biden denied clemency, the primary obstacle to Dr. Aafia Siddiqui's release lies with the military junta in Pakistan rather than the United States. This junta, aligned with Western interests, has admitted to engaging in kidnapping and rendering individuals for bounty. They fear that, if Dr. Siddiqui were to be released, she would expose the extent of their cruelty and mistreatment towards her. While for Biden, he will forever be marked as the president who armed and defended a genocide, concluding his term in disgrace with this additional violation of Dr. Aafia Siddiqui's right to freedom.
The community mobilisation behind Aafia’s cause over the last few weeks is inspiring and a testament to the power of the ummah. This momentum must be sustained to continue to apply all forms of pressure on the U.S. government until her freedom is achieved.
To learn more about Dr, Siddiqui’s case and the actions you can take click here.
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The case of Aafia Siddiqui has brought with it a wave of emotion from all corners of the world.
The detention of this woman, and allegedly her children, has evoked condemnation from politicians, lawyers and activists all over the world. In an environment where the abuses in the ‘War on Terror’ are becoming increasingly known, the case of Siddiqui stands as an anomaly within the new era of openness under the Obama administration.
From the day of her initial detention, no information regarding Aafia Siddiqui seems consistent, especially in relation to information released by the US administration.
Her various alleged persona can give the impression of an extremely high level Al Qaeda operative. However, at the same time, the statements of lawyers, family and friends render her incapable of any acts of terrorism. The purpose of this piece is to try and separate the facts of Siddiqui’s life from the fiction, and as a result, show that the lies that have been told about her are completely inconsistent with her treatment.
