Recent developments in the case of Dr. Aafia Siddiqui, the rape victim turned accused, are disturbing. Those who hoped that she might get relief, if not justice, from US courts are now fast losing that hope. December 17 is the scheduled date of hearing for deciding whether she is mentally fit to stand trial, but a full month ahead of that date, on November 17, Judge Berman announced the medical report declaring her mentally unfit.For many around the world who are following this case without bias, the decision seems to be a foreshadow of what's coming ahead:
- Aafia has been announced mentally unstable but the judge has allowed the so-called psychiatric evaluation to complete it's course. Why?
- Is there even a possibility of her release even if she's declared mentally unfit on December 17?
Those from the international community who follow this case have been presuming that there was. What if there isn't? The questions are harrowing.
If no reliable results have been arrived at, then the report shouldn't have been announced. If results are reliable enough to be announced through a respectable judge, then there shouldn't be any further need to keep Aafia at Carswell. While announcing that she's mentally unfit to stand trial, the court still did not order her release.
1 comments:
Thank you for raising such good questions. It is indeed very unusual and cruel punishment to a human being, a woman with young children, that she continue to be held in custody even after she is declared unfit to stand trial. She has already suffered alleged torture for 5 years and gun shots by US armed forces that we know of, in August and imprisoned at a notorious Psychiatric facility known as "house of horror".
If we were to believe that "Justice delayed is justice denied" then she is most certainly the one who has denied justice in the United States. And it is very sad, a dark moment in the history of this country. She should be released, immediately to her family in the US to recuperate some of the torment she has suffered.
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