Thursday marked a turning point in the trial of Dr. Aafia Siddiqui, who
decided to take the witness stand in her own defense. She declared under
oath for the first time that she "was tortured in a secret prison" and that
her missing children are all that has been on her mind every day. Dr.
Siddiqui denied ever having shot at anyone, and appeared to remain unshaken
even under intense cross-examination by the prosecution. She explained that
she was shot by US soldiers while attempting to peek around the curtain
partition in the interrogation room, while looking for a way to escape.
Before her testimony was cut short by the Judge, Dr. Siddiqui mentioned that
her fear of being sent back to a secret prison had made her anxious to
escape.
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On Friday, an Afghan police officer, Mr. Bashir, testified that he saw an
American officer walk behind the curtain just before he heard gun shots, and
that he never saw Dr. Siddiqui pick up a gun. The defense then rested, and
the prosecution offered rebuttal witnesses, intended to respond to the
evidence presented by the defense. First, the prosecution called a firing
range owner, Gary Woodworth, who testified that he remembered Dr. Siddiqui
coming to the shooting range. However, Mr. Woodworth also admitted that
there were no records of Dr. Siddiqui ever having visited the shooting
range, and that even if she had, it could have been as part of her physical
education requirements at MIT. The prosecution also called FBI Special
Agent Bruce Kammerman, who testified that while recuperating at Bagram
Airbase hospital, Dr. Siddiqui had told him that she had picked up the gun
because she wanted to scare people in order to ease her escape. However, on
cross-examination, Agent Kammerman admitted that his original handwritten
notes about the conversation did not mention anything about a gun, but only
Dr. Siddiqui's desire to escape, and that the reference to the gun was added
only in the final typed report. The prosecution completed its questioning
of another FBI agent who interviewed Dr. Siddiqui while in the hospital,
Angela Sercer, and the defense's cross examination of Agent Sercer will
begin on Monday. The trial proceedings may end as early as Monday
afternoon, with jury deliberations to begin immediately thereafter.
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The prosecution's case further unraveled today when US Army Sergeant Lamont
Williams testified that the female army medic who treated Aafia wasn't in
the room when the alleged incident occurred. This directly contradicted the
medic's own testimony yesterday, in which she claimed to be in the room and
witnessed Aafia holding the M4 rifle. The prosecution is expected to rest
by tomorrow afternoon, and the defense will likely call their first witness.
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Jan 26, 2010, KPFA Letters to Washington
"As New York prepares for GTMO detainee trials later this year or next, we'll bring you the story of a current terrorism related case in a New York federal court of 37 year old woman and neuro-scientist Affia Saddiqui. Guest: Tina Foster of the International Justice Network."
Dr. Siddiqui discussion begins at minute 42. (listen)
Letters to Washington - January 26, 2010 at 10:00am
Click to listen (or download)
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January 25, 2010, New York, NY – The International Justice Network attorneys have been monitoring the trial of Dr. Aafia Siddiqui, which
began on January 19, and continues this week in U.S. Federal Court in the Southern District of New York.
Tina M. Foster, Executive Director the International Justice Network and spokesperson for Muhammad Siddiqui, Aafia’s brother, issued the following statement today on behalf of her U.S.-based family:
Given what we have observed during the trial, we are very concerned about our sister Aafia's emotional and physical health. It is clear to
us that she is extremely depressed, and her outbursts in the courtroom reveal that she has been traumatized by her past ordeal and current
treatment. She, like the rest of our family continues to be distraught over the safety of her two young children who have been kidnapped and missing since her initial arrest.
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