Pakistan

Aafia’s lawyers to file appeal against sentence

Siddiqui’s request to fire legal team was not approved by the court.

Saba Imtiaz April 14, 2011

KARACHI:

Lawyers for Pakistani neuroscientist Aafia Siddiqui are filing an appeal in her case on April 15.

Siddiqui was sentenced on seven counts in a federal court in Manhattan on September 23, 2010, and is serving an 86-year sentence.

Her court-appointed lawyer Dawn Cardi says the ‘multifaceted’ appeal will challenge the “court’s decision, the several legal issues with the trial, the introduction of evidence as well as how Siddiqui was allowed to testify given what we believe was her diminished capacity.”

Less than a month after the sentencing, Siddiqui fired her lawyers and waived her right to an appeal. Siddiqui wrote that she had fired her five lawyers and would be represented by Farha Ahmed, a Texas-based attorney. Ahmed declined to speak to The Express Tribune about Siddiqui.

Cardi said that she had been in touch with Siddiqui’s family through a representative. When asked if they were supportive of the appeal, she said, “I don’t know nor do I care. It is my responsibility and I am obligated to file an appeal.”

Five lawyers were involved in Siddiqui’s case, three of which were retained by the Pakistani government and endorsed by her family. However, Siddiqui refused to accept her legal team and the court appointed lawyers Dawn Cardi and Chad Edgar to represent her.

International Justice Network (IJN) Project Director Tina Foster said that since her sentencing, the court has not allowed Siddiqui any visits with her family or any attorneys other than her court-appointed lawyers. The IJN represents Siddiqui’s family.

However, a spokesperson of the Pakistani embassy in the US said the embassy is in touch with Siddiqui’s court-appointed lawyers and is prepared to offer all assistance. The spokesperson said that the “embassy has tried to arrange telephone calls between Dr Siddiqui and her family in Karachi. The call should go through in the next few days.”

Published in The Express Tribune, April 14^th, 2011.

COMMENTS (21)

Mick | 13 years ago | Reply @District 4 Resident: hope i'm wrong. have you seen anything that points to the contrary? if misinformation about me is spreading, i'd be proactive and address it.

Mary | 13 years ago | Reply Overload and Mick, There is also this: Farha Ahmed-Sugar Land Attorney-At-Law- is on the Freedom and Justice Foundation's Grassroots Leadership Advisory Council. See: http://www.freeandjust.org/OurTeam.htm Scroll all the way to the bottom. Freedom and Justice is loaded with Muslim Brotherhood connections- CAIR, MAS, ISNA- you know, unindicted co-conspirators in the Holy Land Foundation terror trial in Texas. The goal of the MB is to institute sharia law throughout the world. No one who values freedom should consider voting for Farha.

VIEW MORE COMMENTS

District 4 Resident | 13 years ago | Reply Mick, that is just ignorant. You read one flyer and that's all it takes to convince you? Do some more research or reach out to this Farha Ahmed and get the real story.

Mick | 13 years ago | Reply It DOES appear to be the same Farha Ahmed that is running for Sugar Land City Council. I'm in District 4, received a flyer about this and no way I'm voting for her. Source: http://www.texasbar.com/am/template.cfm?section=simple_search Texas Bar Association search Not only is she apparently representing her, they are "friends." Source: http://cryptome.info/0001/siddiqui/siddiqui-010.pdf

justthetruth | 13 years ago | Reply How does Overload know this is the same Farha Ahmed running for office in Sugar Land?

justthetruth | 13 years ago | Reply How does Overload know this is the same Farha Ahmed as the one running for office in Sugar Land???

Overload | 13 years ago | Reply Interesting how everyone missed the fact that a Texas bases attorney Farha Ahmed who happends to be running for a public office in Sugar Land Texas has been approached to defend her. Interesting that this radical is trying her best to get elected to the Sugar Land City Council. Anyone ever hear of Sharia? Their ultimate goal so they get people elected at every level of government. WAKE UP AMERICA!!

Faizan | 13 years ago | Reply Why USA caught 1 lady out of millions of Muslim women living there?? The blind Jamat-e-Islami has to figure it out, dont just go for protests and protests like blind and deaf.

Ahmed | 13 years ago | Reply Good progress after the ISI-CIA meetings.

lawgrade | 13 years ago | Reply Pay blood money for her and bring Sharia to America, ala Raymond Davis. Woohoo!

Omar | 13 years ago | Reply She was convicted to trying to escape and attacking a US soldiers in Afghanistan. Not for being a terrorist. What was she doing in Afghanistan when she was arrested in Pakistan f. Resisting a kidnapper is not terrorism. And remenber Uncle Sam told you that there are WMDs in Iraq. I guess Sarah and Bangash still beleive that as well.

Sarah | 13 years ago | Reply She deserved it. No terrorist should be allowed to go scot-free

Bangash | 13 years ago | Reply $2 million has already been wasted by Govt of Pakistan on this terrorist.

Samantha N | 13 years ago | Reply @ishaq and Mohammad Adeel You Pakistanis make me sick have you sold souls to the devil. What if it was your own sister abducted not known of till months then found and brutally tortured. But I guess you guys were raised in an orphanage funded by Americans. Mental you say. Go get your check up done if you think 9/11 was done by guys in caves, most of american public believe it was an inside job, from the widows of the 9/11 victims to the soldiers in uniform.

Cautious | 13 years ago | Reply At least your no longer showing the photo of her were she was bruised/beaten up - the one taken after her Muslim husband beat her up and shown in most articles implying she was beaten up by American's. Rather than quote the LNJ (who have nothing to do with Siddiqui) the reporter should have done her job and done some investigating - Siddiqui is allowed family visits.

Fahad Raza | 13 years ago | Reply Aafia siddiqui is facing prejudice and false accusation on ground she resisted torture in Baghram airbase.

Angelos | 13 years ago | Reply @Ishaq there are no charges of terrorism on her, all that bull crap of new york maps and bio-chemical formulas etc etc were not even presented in the court, the seven counts she been charged on has nothing to do with them.

muhammad adeel | 13 years ago | Reply everyone knows afia is a mentally unstable religious fanatic.Her degrees don't mean her mental state is not unstable.She got married to the nephew of khalid sheikh muhammad,the mastermind of the 9/11 attacks.We have wasted enough money on this extremist woman.

Zubair | 13 years ago | Reply @ishaq: plz shut up..According to the court only crime of Dr. Afia Siddique was "putting gun against soldiers who were interrogating/torturing her". And soldier fired at her and injured her. For this only reason she is handed over 86 years in prison....and for Ramind Davis, killing 2 people on road on just suspicion is no issue at all..This is height of hypocracy.

ishaq | 13 years ago | Reply Wasting time and Money on a Terrorist.

John | 13 years ago | Reply I doubt if the appeal to over throw the convictions will be entertained. Commutation of the sentence, possible.

Replying to X