Justice for Aafia Coalition

Sunday 28 March 2010 is the 7th anniversary of the kidnapping of Aafia Siddiqui and her children. To commemorate this, the Justice for Aafia Coalition (JFAC) has been formed - an umbrella organisation, currently spanning four continents, which aims to unite and direct all individuals and organisations concerned for our sister and working for her release.

We all should be aware of the plight of our sister Aafia Siddiqui who last month was convicted of the attempted murder of US soldiers in Afghanistan whilst in custody. The hidden side of this story is the fact that Aafia had been missing since 2003 and claims that she was kidnapped with her three children by the Pakistani intelligence services, transferred to US custody and held in a series of secret prisons away from her children for five years during which time she was repeatedly raped, tortured and abused. Two of her children remain missing to this day.

Aafia's trial was also flawed in that there was no evidence of any gun residue from the rifle she is alleged to have shot, no trace of her fingerprints on the rifle, no bullet shells found in the room or bullet holes in the wall. The testimonies of the soldiers conflicted with each other and with their own earlier statements. Despite the prosecution admitting Aafia was not a member of al-Qaeda or linked to any terrorist group, she was for all intents and purposes, tried as such. Her sentencing is on 6 May - she faces spending the rest of her life in an American maximum security prison. Since her conviction, she has been denied access to phone calls, sending or receiving letters, or any visits, in the interests of national security.

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