Interesting reversal this morning of a previous finding of Aafia Siddiqui's mental state and her ability to stand trial, from the NY Times:
"A federal prosecutor said Monday that two psychiatrists who have examined Aafia Siddiqui, a Pakistani neuroscientist charged with trying to kill an American soldier and F.B.I. agents while in custody in Afghanistan, said she was not suffering from psychological illness that would render her unfit for trial. That assessment was in contrast to a previous evaluation of Ms. Siddiqui’s fitness."
"The case of Ms. Siddiqui, 36, who studied at Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Brandeis University and who American officials say has ties to operatives of Al Qaeda, has been watched since she was brought to New York for prosecution from Afghanistan last summer."
"...An earlier court-ordered evaluation by the Bureau of Prisons personnel had concluded that she was suffering from mental illness and was not competent for trial."
"But on Monday, after a prosecutor in New York cited the new psychiatric reports, which have not yet been made public, Judge Richard M. Berman of United States District Court in Manhattan said he might be ready to consider setting a trial date....Judge Berman is expected to hold a hearing to render a final ruling on whether Ms. Siddiqui is competent for trial."
Siddiqui has two new lawyers on her case, Dawn M. Cardi and Chad L. Edgar of Dawn M. Cardi and Associates, 2 Park Avenue, NYC. They were entered as her attorneys just last Friday, Feb. 20, 2009. Hmmm, a firm size of 2? Family law, divorce law and estate planning? What happened to Elaine Whitfield Sharp?
This will definitely be a trial to watch! Previous blog postings on the casehere (scroll down).
WHERE ARE HER TWO OTHER CHILDREN?
Posted by: AASHI AZAD | November 25, 2009 at 05:55 AM
That is an excellent question, Aashi. What does Fowzia have to say about that?
Posted by: Kelly | November 25, 2009 at 09:29 PM