Prisoner 650 Press Conference

'We also need to know the full extent of these innocent victims caught up in this scandal of the Disappeared, especially with regards to sisters who are referred to as female enemy combatants including prisoner 650. Prisoner 650 was held for two years in one of the most primitive, brutal regimes where abuse, torture and degradation have been routinely carried out. We need to know who she is and where she is. I would have thought that all of us have learnt lessons from the horrific episode of Abu Ghraib.

'The time for the complete truth has arrived. We, the people, demand to know how many female enemy combatants the US has in custody and exactly where they are and from which countries. All we ask is that these female detainees and others be allowed to prove their innocence in the court of law. This is in no way protecting terrorists'.
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Report on Prisoner 650 Press Conference, 9th September 2008 (a few days old but crucial, given the suspician this was Dr. Aafia Siddiqi--this needs to be publicized) since Dr. Siddiqi's family is once again in the news--since finally the US is in touch with her family about the children...)

The Bush Administration has finally admitted it held a woman known as Prisoner 650 ın Bagram, Afghanistan following an international campaign by Cage Prisoners.

The astonishıng admissıon was made on September 5 in a letter from Rıchard LeBaron, the US Charge D'Affaıres in London, more than two months after Cageprisoners Patron Yvonne Ridley launched the campaign wıth Cageprisoners Dırector Saghir Hussain and politician Imran Khan.

The dramatic July press conference in Pakistan attended by more than 100 media, is also thought to have triggered a serıes of events whıch led to the bızarre and sudden appearance of Dr Aafıya Sıddıque who ıs now ın custody in New York followıng a shooting incıdent ın Afghanistan in which she was severely injured.

Ten days earlıer, at the press conference in Islamabad, Rıdley called on the media to help and demand that the US hand over Prisoner 650 immediately.

'I don't know her name or what is her mental or physıcal condıtıon but we do know her prisoner number and we do know she has been sexually and physıcally abused by her US jaılers. We also believe she ıs from Pakistan,' Ridley told the assembled media.

The media speculated that Prisoner 650 was also Dr Aafia Siddiqui who had been missing for five years after she and her three chidren disappeared from their Karachi home.

Tehreek-e-Insaf leader Imran Khan hosted the press conference in Islamabad and pledged to help Cageprisoners in its quest to find Prisoner 650. He began exerting pressure on the Pakistan Government, while back in London, Lord Nazir Ahmed also pledged his support.

After firing off a round of letters a response came from the US Embassy informıng him that Prısoner 650 did exist and that she was NOT Dr Aafia Siddiqui.

Lord Ahmed, Ridley and Hussaın held a press conference in Westminster about this latest development.

'According to the Americans this woman known as the Grey Lady of Bagram was released after two years of beıng held without trial or charge. We now need to know who she is and from whıch country she originates.

'I wıll also be demanding to know just how many women are being held by the US and where and in what conditions. I also congratulate Sr Yvonne for pursuing this case so doggedly.'

Meanwhile Imran Khan saıd in a statement; ''The US Administration has continually misled us in our attempts to discover the true identity of Prisoner 650 and have even denied her existence previously. We need to know the extent of Pakistan's co-operation in the involvement of Prisoner 650 and Dr Aafia Siddiqui, now that we know the two are separate cases (stated in Press Conference by Yvonne Ridley / Lord Nazir of Rotherham on Sept 09 2008 in London UK).

'We also need to know the full extent of these innocent victims caught up in this scandal of the Disappeared, especially with regards to sisters who are referred to as female enemy combatants including prisoner 650. Prisoner 650 was held for two years in one of the most primitive, brutal regimes where abuse, torture and degradation have been routinely carried out. We need to know who she is and where she is. I would have thought that all of us have learnt lessons from the horrific episode of Abu Ghraib.

'The time for the complete truth has arrived. We, the people, demand to know how many female enemy combatants the US has in custody and exactly where they are and from which countries. All we ask is that these female detainees and others be allowed to prove their innocence in the court of law. This is in no way protecting terrorists'.

Moazzam Begg, former Bagram detainee and Cageprisoners spokesman, said in a statement: "As the case of Dr. Aafia Siddiqui gains wider public attention, the matter of US detention policy pertaining to women in Afghanistan is once again the focus of controversy and outrage. Since hearing the screams of a woman many years ago, when I was detained in Bagram, I have always believed that women held there were brutalised. I made this belief clear to visiting British intelligence agents at the time - so they too were aware. Despite recent repeated denials by the US administration of the existence of Prisoner 650, many of us imprisoned in Bagram prayed for a day when the truth would come out. That day is here."

Afterwards Yvonne said; 'The irony is, had I not gone to Guantanamo Bay to film a documentary none of this would have come out. When I returned to the UK from Cuba I re-interviewed Moaazam Begg about his book Enemy Combatant and he relayed to me this haunting story of the Grey Lady of Bagram and how he could still hear her screams at night.I put it to him that maybe the screams were recorded onto a tape and played to him as part of the mental torture programme inflıcted by the FBI and CIA but he saıd she was real and furthermore there were eye-witnesses. I resolved then and there to try and do some thing.

'I knew the story would have more of an impact in Pakistan wıth the media since our media is largely racist and couldn't gıve a toss about a Muslim woman being beaten and raped in Bagram. The Pakistan media did a superb job and now we are getting to the truth but there is still a long way to go.

'America has to be completely transparent now and tell the truth about the women they refer to as female enemy combatants. And the Pakistan Government also has to come clean and reveal the truth about its role in prisoner 650 as well as the kidnappıng and detention of Dr Aafıa Siddiqui.'

* Meanwhile Lord Nazir has sought permission for him and Yvonne to visit Pakistan neuro-scientist Dr. Aafia Siddiqui after both expressed fears over the health of the incarcerated Pakistani national. The US Embassy has saıd it is prepared to facilitate such a visit consistent with the applicable rules and procedures of the Detention Centre and contingent on Ms.Siddiqui’s consent.

Lord Ahmed also demanded that Dr. Siddiqui's relatives including her mother and sister be also allowed to visit.