Dr Aafia Siddiqui, a Pakistani neuroscientist accused of terrorism, has called for a presidential pardon from US President Joe Biden before he transfers the office to President-elect Donald Trump on Monday (Jan 20).
Siddiqui, 52, has maintained her innocence, claiming she hopes to be freed after “new evidence” might support her case.
Dubbed “Lady al Qaeda”, Siddiqui was one of the most wanted women in the world for her alleged connection to al Qaeda's leadership. In 2010, she was imprisoned for 86 years for attempting to murder an FBI agent in Afghanistan.
Also read | Joe Biden commutes sentences of nearly 2,500 drug dealers
Her lawyer, Clive Stafford Smith, submitted a 76,500-word dossier to the outgoing President Biden, urging him to issue a pardon, according to Sky News.
Biden, who has issued 39 pardons and commuted 3,989 sentences, has until Donald Trump's inauguration on Monday (Jan 20) to consider Siddiqui’s application.
‘Intelligence errors'
Smith claims that intelligence errors led to her wrongful conviction. He alleges that Siddiqui was abducted by the Pakistani intelligence agency in 2003 along with her three children and handed over to the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA), which tortured her.
Despite the controversies surrounding the case of Siddiqui, CIA whistleblower John Kiriakou among others said that Siddiqui had ties with al-Qaeda and was a significant figure within their network.
“We would hear her name mentioned as someone who could be trusted. She was presented to us as one of the most capable and dangerous figures in that movement,” Kiriakou said, as quoted by Sky News. He further denied the claims that the CIA tortured Siddiqui, saying that the agency did not torture women.
However, Siddiqui’s family continued to protest saying that she was a victim of injustice. As per the Sky News report, according to her sister, Fowzia, she was a “victim of the war on terror... of a very bad cover-up”.
Fowzia has been campaigning for the release of her sister for almost two decades.
Also read | Biden farewell speech: Sounds alarm on oligarchy, takes subtle swipe at Trump's billionaire-rich cabinet
Siddiqui’s lawyers hope for an immediate intervention from Biden to prevent her prolonged imprisonment.
Dr Aafia Siddiqui’s case
Dr Aafia Siddiqui was accused of alleged links with al-Qaeda following the capture of Khalid Sheikh Mohammed (KSM), the mastermind behind the 9/11 attack in the US. Reportedly, Siddiqui married KSM’s nephew and moved to Karachi with her children.
She was arrested in 2008, while allegedly carrying sodium cyanide and had plans for attacks on US targets. Reportedly, she attempted to shoot US agents during the interrogation and was wounded. She later showed signs of severe mistreatment.
Also read | 'Privilege of my life': Biden pens letter for Americans ahead of farewell speech
While Siddiqui's son was released in Afghanistan, the whereabouts of her other two children were not known. In 2010, she was convicted of attempted murder and sentenced to 86 years in the US. She was never charged with direct connections to terrorism.
(With inputs from agencies)