Friday, April 29, 2011

UPDATE: Mobilization and More on Dr. Aafia Siddiqui

The following was just sent from the Peace Thru Justice leadership:

After consultation with a couple of close confidants, we have decided to cancel the mobilization for our sister this coming Saturday, May 7. (Please share this information as far and wide as possible.)

In the wake of: (a) the bin Laden related hysteria which now grips the collective mind of America at present; (b) the counterproductive knee jerk reaction of some of our leaders and organizations; (c) the uncertainties of a strong, confident followup response from the rank and file of our community (given the present climate); (d) and concern about how Aafia's image might be negatively manipulated toward a political and/or exploitative end, we've decided that this is the best decision to make at this time. (Surely ALLAH knows best.)

If Aafia Siddiqui is not able to enjoy the full human rights to which she is entitled, even as a prisoner, and have contact with the outside world (especially her family) by the end of this month, we will be back at FMC Carswell (in far greater numbers) sometime in June, insha'Allah.

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NEXT, be sure to see the article by Andrew Purcell on freeaafia.org April 27, 2011
(which refers to the confusion once again being recycled in high profile media as if new and true):

The Boys from Bagram and the Guys in Guantanamo
By Andy Purcell

The boys from Bagram called the guys in Guantanamo and asked for a favor.

Could you work the name Aafia Siddiqui into your interrogations. We can't break her and if we don't get something on her, the legal, diplomatic, and public relations complications will be severe.

The guys in Guantanamo told the boys from Bagram not to worry, with our enhanced interrogation techniques, we can prove anything here.

And this is how Aafia Siddiqui wound up featured in the most recent Wikileaks disclosures. The same old stories we have been reading about for almost a decade, told through the smoke of a Cuban cigar. While witnesses have identified her as Prisoner 650 in Bagram, nameless scriveners of silence etched a different story for public consumption.

Before you inhale that Cuban cigar smoke, here is a part of the story that hasn't made the headlines:

"U.S. military intelligence assessing the threat of nearly 800 men held at Guan­tanamo in many cases used information from a small group of captives whose accounts now appear to be questionable."

SEE Truth-Out.org's "Eight gave evidence against 255 others" CLICK HERE

End of Andy Purcell's article
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There is a brief video with journalist, writer Victoria Brittain which may help to answer some of the questions arising with folk new to this case and/or confused by the usual media superficiality HERE Victoria Brittain is a former associate foreign editor of the Guardian, and a Patron of Cageprisoners. Her books include "Hidden Lives, Hidden Deaths" and "The Death of Dignity". She has spent much of her working life in Asia, Africa and the Middle East.

Victoria Brittain wrote an earlier (February 2011) article on the Dr. Aafia Siddiqui case (introduced by Andy Worthington) here and she co-authored Moazzam Begg's first-person book "The Accused" - reviewed by Jane Mayer here

Also, MOBILIZATION for May 7th - CANCELLED until further notice -
Organized by the PEACE THRU JUSTICE FOUNDATION - and read of other recent events/articles/news CLICK for Free Aafia here and for Justice for Aafia CLICK here

I am working on a post which goes into more detail on this case as it stands now in light of new developments (release of old and new analyses (some of which - and some which are NOT coming into better focus. The not in a nutshell refers to the information which is RECYCLED FICTION through and through.

Plz come back in a few days and/or look early the coming at nomorecrusades blog here

4 comments:

CN said...

Although several key journalists who've followed this case use the word "mysterious" about the same -
some who have known Aafia well claim that such a description was/is not an accurate portrayal of Dr. Aafia herself.

The term "mysterious" might more accurately refer to the strange contradictory so-called "facts", claims and reports given by "authorities" and her ex-husband in cahoots at one time with Dr. Aafia's uncle.

These alleged claims have been continually repeated with little thought - as reporters (especially in the US) - are prone to do without professional "digging".

These old and repeated so-called "reports" have been probably been allowed to continue to confuse even the better reporters and human rights folk and appear to be repackaged deliberately to cover-up the actual happenings. (To save a few folk from accountability as Purcell pointed out in his post.)

http://www.counterpunch.org/brittain02142011.html

http://kboo.fm/node/27974 The Mysterious Case of Dr. Aafia Siddiqui: Interview with Victoria Brittain

For more who've dug deepest, look for Cage Prisoner archives, About Aafia blog (especially, Don't Blame the Victim), Keep watching and listen to the archives at International Justice Network, look Aafia Siddiqui up at Andy Worthington's blogsite, find Ondelette's work with salon.com and or Talking Points Memo and be sure to keep watching the sites:

FreeAafia.com

Justice for Aafia Coalition

More to be added...

connie nash said...

SEE a report from February of this year along with an analysis and dialogue with readers as only ondelette does HERE:

http://my.firedoglake.com/ondelette/2011/02/14/aafia-siddiqui-new-information-from-ijn/

connie nash said...

Find an interesting report (April 20th)on the first mobilization by Andy Purcell on freeaafia.org

CN said...

Just the files relating to the truth-out.org story

http://www.truth-out.org/wikileaks-just-eight-gitmo-gave-evidence-against-255-others/1303841535