Last year on July 6, a British journalist broke the news that Dr. Aafia Siddiqui and her three minor children had been in the illegal secret custody of US authorities in Afghanistan for five years, and that Aafia had been subjected to rape and torture all this while. Exactly on the same date a year later, Judge Berman has conducted a hearing in a New York court where instead of being heard as a victim, Aafia is being tried as accused.
This Monday, Aafia was forced to appear in the court. “I am not a psychotic,” she told told the court which was trying to silence her. “I am sane, despite all your effort… I didn't shoot anybody… I am not against America – I never was. I am against the war… I am concerned for the lives that are being lost… I’m one of the very few people who have an insider’s view… I understand that there has been a misunderstanding. America as a nation has been framed to look bad.”
She shook her head in disagreement when the judge said that she was presumed innocent. As expected, Judge Burman didn’t rule on whether Aafia is fit to stand trial or not while the date of hearing has been shifted to October 19.
- Read further details in Jawad Rasul: Inside Edition, the Sydney Morning Herald and Archives of the Republic of Rumi
