Pochi giorni fa, la Coalizione Giustizia per Aafia (Justice for Aafia Coalition – JFAC) ha esortato tutte le persone che abbiano una coscienza a scrivere ai governi americano e pakistano, esercitando ogni possibile pressione per assicurare il rimpatrio immediato in Pakistan della dottoressa Siddiqui, la cui sentenza verrà resa nota il 16 agosto prossimo. Aafia Siddiqui rischia l’ergastolo per un crimine che non ha commesso.
Il segretario di Stato americano, Hilary Clinton, si recherà in visita ufficiale in Pakistan il prossimo 15 luglio. Invitiamo dunque urgentemente tutti voi ad inviare i vostri appelli prima del suo viaggio.
Seguono due modelli di lettera in inglese.
MODELLO DI LETTERA DA INVIARE AI MEMBRI DEL GOVERNO AMERICANO
Dear Attorney General Eric Holder,
As the sentencing of Dr. Aafia Siddiqui draws closer at the Federal District Court in Manhattan, I urge you to exercise all prosecutorial authority vested in you to permit Dr. Aafia Siddiqui to be repatriated to her native Pakistan as a matter of urgency. Given all the facts and circumstances of this case, repatriation of Dr. Siddiqui to Pakistan would not only serve the interests of justice and the American people, but is also warranted on humanitarian grounds.
There are numerous credible reports that Dr. Siddiqui was abducted from Pakistan with her three young children in March 2003. Dr. Siddiqui claims that she was detained in a series of secret prisons for five years during which time she was abused, tortured and raped by her captors. Her youngest son, Suleman, remains missing to this day.
Prosecution witnesses claim that Dr. Siddiqui first came into US military custody after having been shot while being detained with her eldest son, Ahmed, at a local police station in Afghanistan in July 2008. Dr. Siddiqui suffered two near-fatal gunshot wounds in the incident, but no one else was injured. Prosecution witnesses say that Dr. Siddiqui picked up an unattended firearm and attempted to shoot at US personnel in Afghanistan, who shot back at her in self-defense. Despite the lack of any forensic evidence that Dr. Siddiqui ever touched, much less fired, a gun Dr. Siddiqui was convicted by a jury sitting in US federal court in New York in February 2010.
Regardless of whatever happened in the July 2008 incident for which Dr. Siddiqui was prosecuted, important questions remain unanswered in Dr Siddiqui’s case. What little information has been made available to date paints a chilling portrait of Dr. Aafia as a victim – first, of domestic violence and related physical and emotional trauma, and later, of governmental abuses of power (or, at a minimum, indifference to her plight).
The interests of the US public are also best served by permitting Dr. Siddiqui’s two young children, both of whom are US citizens, to be reunited with their mother. Both children are believed to have been kept in detention camps in Afghanistan prior to having finally located with assistance from regional authorities. Ahmed and Mariam, ages 14 and 12 respectively, now reside with their grandmother in Karachi.
In light of the unusual circumstances of this case, in which it appears that at a minimum, Dr. Siddiqui suffered severe physical and emotional trauma prior to the crimes which she has been charged with, we call upon you to exercise all lawful authority vested with the US Department of Justice to allow Dr. Siddiqui to be repatriated to Pakistan on humanitarian grounds.
I look forward to hearing from you.
Yours sincerely,
(Your name)
INDIRIZZI USA:
President Barack Obama
The White House
1600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW
Washington,
DC 20500
Tel: 202-456-1111
Fax: 202-456-246
Email at: http://www.whitehouse.gov/contact
Eric Holder,
Attorney General,
U.S. Department of Justice,
950 Pennsylvania Avenue,
NW Washington,
DC 20530-0001
Tel: 202-353-1555
Email: AskDoJ@usdoj.gov
Hilary Clinton
Secretary of State,
U.S. Department of State,
2201 C Street,
N.W. Washington
DC 20520
Tel: +1 202 647 4000
Fax: +1 202 261 8577
Email: questions@friendsofhillary.com
________________________________________
MODELLO DI LETTERA DA INVIARE AI MEMBRI DEL GOVERNO PAKISTANO
Dear [name],
As the sentencing of Dr. Aafia Siddiqui draws ever closer at the Federal District Court in Manhattan, we urge you to exert every effort to request Dr. Aafia Siddiqui to be repatriated to her native Pakistan as a matter of urgency. Given all the facts and circumstances of this case, repatriation of Dr. Siddiqui to Pakistan would not only serve the interests of justice and the Pakistani people, but is also warranted on humanitarian grounds.
There are numerous credible reports that Dr. Siddiqui was abducted from Pakistan with her three young children in March 2003. Dr. Siddiqui claims that she was detained in a series of secret prisons for five years during which time she was abused, tortured and raped by her captors. Her youngest son, Suleman, remains missing to this day.
Prosecution witnesses claim that Dr. Siddiqui first came into US military custody after having been shot while being detained with her eldest son, Ahmed, at a local police station in Afghanistan in July 2008. Dr. Siddiqui suffered two near-fatal gunshot wounds in the incident, but no one else was injured. Prosecution witnesses say that Dr. Siddiqui picked up an unattended firearm and attempted to shoot at US personnel in Afghanistan, who shot back at her in self-defence. Dr. Siddiqui was extradited to the US despite the fact the alleged crime neither occurred in the US nor is she a US citizen. Despite the lack of any forensic evidence that Dr. Siddiqui ever touched, much less fired a gun Dr. Siddiqui was convicted by a jury sitting in US federal court in New York in February 2010.
Regardless of whatever happened in the July 2008 incident for which Dr. Siddiqui was prosecuted, important questions remain unanswered in Dr Siddiqui’s case. What little information has been made available to date paints a chilling portrait of Dr. Aafia as a victim – first, of domestic violence and related physical and emotional trauma, and later, of governmental abuses of power (or, at a minimum, indifference to her plight).
The country’s interests are also best served by permitting Dr. Siddiqui’s two young children, to be reunited with their mother. Both children are believed to have been kept in detention camps in Afghanistan prior to having finally located with assistance from regional authorities. Dr Siddiqui faces the prospect of life in a harsh US prison, never to see her children again.
In light of the unusual circumstances of this case, in which it appears that at a minimum, Dr. Siddiqui suffered severe physical and emotional trauma prior to the crimes which she has been charged with, we urge you to exhaust every avenue to ensure that Dr. Siddiqui is repatriated to Pakistan ahead of her sentencing in August. Whilst some statements have been made, claiming that it is not possible for Pakistan to request her return whilst her case still remains pending in the US courts, these are in fact misleading and inaccurate. Were Pakistan to formally request this, the US would immediately acquiesce. The US recently lobbied for the release and repatriation for one of their own citizens who was by all accounts in possession of firearms and acting in contravention to the law.
It is imperative that the government must act on Dr Aafia’s behalf whilst the window of opportunity remains open and bring an end to the seven year nightmare this Daughter of the Nation has endured. If this matter is delayed any further, there will be far greater obstacles in the way of her repatriation to Pakistan. Furthermore, post-sentencing, she will lose the right of appeal to the US Supreme Court. Indeed Pakistan has a golden opportunity to raise Dr Aafia’s case at the highest level with the scheduled visit of US Secretary of State Hilary Clinton this month.
I urge you to do your utmost to formally request Dr. Aafia's immediate repatriation to Pakistan.
I look forward to your response.
Yours sincerely,
[Name]
INDIRIZZI IN PAKISTAN:
Mr. Asif Ali Zardari
President of Pakistan
President's Secretariat
Islamabad,
PAKISTAN,
Email: publicmail@president.gov.pk
Phone 92-51-9204801-9214171
Fax 92-51-9207458
Mr. Syed Yousaf Raza Gilani
Prime Minister of Pakistan
Prime Minister House
Islamabad
PAKISTAN
Fax: + 92 51 9221596
E-mail: secretary@cabinet.gov.pk
Mr. Rehman Malik
Minister of Interior
Room No. 404, 4th Floor, R Block,
Pak Secretariat
Islamabad
PAKISTAN
Fax: +92 51 920 2624
Tel: +92 51 9921 2026
E-mail: minister@interior.gov.pk
ministry.interior@gmail.com
interior.complaintcell@gmail.com
Makhdoom Shah Mahmood Qureshi,
Foreign Minister,
Ministry of Foreign Affairs
Islamabad,
Pakistan
Tel: +92 51 921 0335
Fax: +92 51 920 7600
Email: spokesman@yahoo.com , smhq148@hotmail.com
