New York: A U.S. appeals court on Monday upheld the conviction and 86-year prison sentence of a Pakistani neuroscientist Dr Aafia Siddiqui.
Dr Aafia was convicted for shooting at FBI agents and soldiers after her arrest in Afghanistan. Siddiqui, whose conviction was widely criticized in Pakistan, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Richard Berman in September 2010. She was convicted by a New York federal jury of attempted murder, armed assault and other charges.
The 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in New York said a lower court judge had not made a mistake in allowing Aafia Siddiqui, 40, to testify in her own defense at trial and in allowing certain evidence against her.
On appeal, her attorneys challenged her conviction and sentence on many grounds. They said the judge improperly allowed jurors to consider the crumpled notes, and that the judge should never have allowed Siddiqui to decide whether to take the stand.
“The district court went to extraordinary lengths to ensure that Siddiqui understood the implications of testifying and had the capacity to testify,” the opinion said.
The appeals court also sided with Berman in finding that Siddiqui had likely premeditated the attack, and that terrorism sentencing requirements were applicable because of her willingness to harm Americans.
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