Dr. Aafia Siddiqui sues US prison alleging abuse and rights violations

Dr. Aafia Siddiqui, the Pakistani neuroscientist, who studied at institutions including Brandeis University and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and is serving an 86-year sentence at the Federal Medical Center (FMC) Carswell in Fort Worth, Texas, has filed a federal lawsuit accusing US prison officials of severe human rights abuses.

The 61-page complaint, lodged in the US District Court for the Northern District of Texas, claims Siddiqui has faced ongoing sexual assault, physical abuse, denial of medical care, and religious discrimination during her imprisonment since 2010.

The lawsuit names the US government, the Federal Bureau of Prisons (BOP), and several prison officials, detailing numerous incidents of mistreatment.

Siddiqui alleges that prison guards, including male officers, subjected her to repeated sexual assault under the guise of routine searches.

She further accuses prison staff of retaliating against her for reporting the abuse, including an incident in which she was allegedly doused with a burning acidic substance.

A significant portion of the lawsuit highlights violations of Siddiqui’s religious rights. Despite being a devout Muslim, Siddiqui has been denied access to an Imam for spiritual guidance, and her requests for religious items and participation in Friday prayers have been repeatedly blocked.

The lawsuit details how male officers have observed her during private moments, including when she was forced to strip, further infringing upon her religious freedoms.

Additionally, the complaint addresses the lack of adequate medical care, noting that Siddiqui has suffered from physical ailments, including hearing loss and dental issues, as a result of prior alleged torture in US custody.

Her attorneys argue that the failure to provide proper care for Siddiqui’s documented PTSD and physical injuries violates her constitutional rights under the Eighth Amendment, which prohibits cruel and unusual punishment.

The case is framed within a broader context of systemic issues at FMC Carswell, where previous reports and lawsuits have pointed to widespread abuse of female inmates.

A 2022 investigation by the Fort Worth Star-Telegram revealed numerous cases of sexual misconduct by prison staff, many of which were either covered up or inadequately addressed.

Dr. Siddiqui's legal team, which includes attorneys Naim Haroon Sakhia, Maria Kari, and Clive Stafford Smith, is seeking a jury trial and demanding an independent investigation into the allegations.

Earlier in 2022, in a lawsuit against the federal Bureau of Prisons, Siddiqui’s lawyers had said that another inmate had “smashed a coffee mug filled with scaling hot liquid” into her face.

When Siddiqui curled herself into a fetal position, the other woman began to punch and kick her, leaving her with injuries so severe that she needed to be taken by wheelchair to the prison’s medical unit..

Siddiqui was left with burns around her eyes and a three-inch scar near her left eye, the lawsuit says. She also suffered bruises on her arms and legs and an injury to her cheek.

They have been calling for immediate action to protect Siddiqui from further harm, improve her access to religious counsel, and ensure she receives adequate medical care.

The case has drawn significant international attention, with human rights activists and supporters calling for justice for Siddiqui and other female inmates subjected to similar abuse.

The Pakistani government has also repeatedly called for her release and repatriation, highlighting concerns about the treatment she has received in US custody.

Attorney Naim Haroon Sakhia commented on the lawsuit, stating, "Dr. Siddiqui has endured unimaginable suffering, and this case is a glaring example of the severe issues plaguing the US prison system."

Maria Kari emphasised that the lawsuit seeks justice not just for Siddiqui, but for other women who have suffered in silence.

The US Bureau of Prisons has yet to respond to the lawsuit, but the case is likely to have far-reaching implications for prison reform and the treatment of detainees, particularly women, in US facilities.

This legal action underscores ongoing concerns over the treatment of foreign nationals in US prisons and has the potential to spark further scrutiny of the country’s human rights practices.

How did Dr. Aafia Siddiqui end up in Texas?

Dr. Aafia Siddiqui’s arrest is one of the most controversial and mysterious cases, that began in March 2003, following the arrest of Khalid Sheikh Mohammed (KSM), Al Qaeda’s third-in-command and the alleged mastermind behind the 9/11 attacks, in Karachi.

Mohammed was transferred to US custody and sent to Guantanamo Bay, where he was tortured by being subjected to waterboarding and "rectal rehydration" as part of CIA interrogation tactics, according to a Senate report.

At the time, Siddiqui, who was reportedly married to a nephew of Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, disappeared along with her three minor children in Karachi.

US media described her as the first woman suspected of links to Osama bin Laden’s Al-Qaeda network, earning her the notorious moniker “Lady Al Qaeda.”

In 2008, Siddiqui 'resurfaced' in Afghanistan, where she was arrested in Ghazni province during a time of intense conflict in Afghanistan.

At that point, the Taliban, a resistance militant group, were engaged in fierce battles with Afghan national forces, which were supported by the US-led international coalition. The internal troops in Ghazni included US 1,200 troops, 1600 from Poland and 700 from France.

US court documents allege that Siddiqui was found carrying two kilograms of sodium cyanide hidden in bottles of moisturiser, along with plans for attacks on high-profile US targets, including the Brooklyn Bridge and the Empire State Building.

Handed over to US forces, Siddiqui reportedly grabbed a rifle during her interrogation and opened fire on American agents, shouting “Death to America” and “I want to kill Americans.”

While the agents were unharmed, Siddiqui was shot and wounded in the process. Medical tests conducted in 2008 revealed that Siddiqui had suffered a partial loss of her intestine, raising concerns about her treatment during her years of detention.

In 2008, one of her sons was freed in Afghanstan and later shifted to Islamabad. There is no information on how he ended up in Afghanistan.

Details about the other two children are not known.

In 2010, she was convicted in the Manhattan, US and sentenced to 86 years in prison for attempted murder.

However, she was never charged with any direct links to Al Qaeda or terrorism-related activities.

Recently during a House Foreign Affairs Committee hearing in 2023, US Congressman Brad Sherman had proposed a potential exchange betweeb Dr. Aafia Siddiqui and Dr. Shakil Afridi, a Pakistani doctor who assisted the CIA in conducting a fake vaccination campaign to locate Al-Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden.

In 2012, Afridi was sentenced to 33 years in prison in Pakistan, not for his work with the CIA, but over ties to a banned militant group. His jail time was was later reduced to 10 years.