Mon, 08 Feb 2010 | PressTV
Aafia Siddiqui |
Hundreds of people have marched through the streets of Karachi to protest against the conviction of Pakistani scientist Aafia Siddiqui in the United States. The conviction triggered protests in different parts of the country, where anti-US sentiments are already running high.
Siddiqui vehemently denied all the charges against her during the trial, calling them 'ridiculous' and insisting that she was framed, jailed, and tortured by US agents in Pakistan and Afghanistan.
"This is a verdict from Israel, not America. The anger should be directed where it belongs," Siddiqui said shortly after the jury left the room.
Siddiqui was charged with shooting at FBI agents and US military personnel in a police station in Ghazni, Afghanistan, where she was being interrogated in 2008.
Her lawyers argued that there is no evidence to show Siddiqui ever fired the weapon presented in court.
Human rights groups allege that Siddiqui had secretly been held and tortured at the US base in Bagram, north of Kabul, for five years prior to the alleged 2008 incident.
Relatives of Siddiqui have strongly criticized the US justice system for its ruling.
Siddiqui may be given a life sentence by the judge, who will probably not make a decision on the case until May.
On Sunday, the demonstrators chanted anti-American slogans and burnt the US flag days after a New York jury found Siddiqui guilty of attempted murder of FBI agents and US military personnel.
JR/HGL
