[ALazyThracian]

A Pakistani doctor who was recruited by the CIA to try to help locate Osama bin Laden and was subsequently accused of treason by the authorities in Islamabad has been jailed for 33 years.

Shakil Afridi, who set up a fake vaccination scheme in order to try to obtain a DNA sample from members of Bin Laden's family living in the compound in Abbottabad, was convicted in absentia under draconian laws in Peshawar. "Dr Shakil has been sentenced to 33 years imprisonment and a fine of 320,000 Pakistani rupees [£2,200]," Mohammad Nasir, a government official in Peshawar, told Reuters.

Mr Afridi, 48, a senior government doctor who worked in the north-west of Pakistan, is understood to have been recruited by the CIA when he was out of work and visited the US some time in 2009. After returning to Pakistan and providing information to Washington about sensitive tribal areas, he was subsequently called upon to try to help determine whether or not Bin Laden lived in the Abbottabad compound to which the CIA had been led.

The CIA tasked the doctor with setting up the fake vaccination programme. Reports suggest the scheme was not successful though others say that he was able to obtain a phone number for a resident of the compound which was then passed to the CIA and proved to be of vital importance.

Less than a month after the raid last May that killed Bin Laden Mr Afridi was detained by the authorities and accused of treason. The US repeatedly requested his release, saying any action he had undertaken had been to tackle al-Qa'ida and not to damage Pakistan.

Earlier this year, Leon Panetta, the US Defence Secretary, said Mr Afridi had been an essential part of the operation that traced and killed Bin Laden and denounced Pakistan's prosecution of the doctor. "For them to take this kind of action against somebody who was helping to go after terrorism, I just think is a real mistake on their part," he said.

In February, the US Congressman Dana Rohrabacher introduced legislation that called for Mr Afridi to be granted American citizenship and said it was "shameful and unforgivable that our supposed allies" had charged him.

The conviction of Mr Afridi, tried under the British-era Frontier Crimes Regulations (FCR) that still govern Pakistan's semi-autonomous tribal region, will only deepen the continuing antagonism between the US and Pakistan.

According to the laws under which the doctor was tried, he can appeal within two months.



Source: http://www.independent.co.uk/news/wo...n-7782497.html

So he helped bring the most wanted terrorist in the world to justice and what does he have to show for it? Life in prison

Update: AMERICA is to cut $US33 million ($34 million) from the aid sent to Pakistan in response to the jailing of a Pakistani doctor who helped the CIA hunt for Osama bin Laden.

Source: http://m.smh.com.au/world/us-cuts-pa...525-1z8tq.html

[JJames]

I read that as Doctor Who helped CIA find Bin Laden. (It's been a long day)

I hope he does get granted citizenship though.

[BrookeDavis]

(Original post by JJames)
I read that as Doctor Who helped CIA find Bin Laden. (It's been a long day)

I hope he does get granted citizenship though.

Lol I read the same and got excited.

[Steevee]

It's Pakistan, what do you expect? It's hard to find a more duplicitous nation on this Earth.

[Octohedral]

I hope he gets granted citizenship, and it's clearly wrong.

However, to cover all points of view, suppose an American helped Pakistani forces conduct a secret raid in America to kill a Westerner? They would be a little irritated. What gives the USA the right to violate the sovereignity of another country, when they would never suffer the same in return?

I don't agree with Pakistan, I think it's a gross injustice, but I do see their thinking. I'm also not entirely convinced they wanted Bin Laden killed.


Edit: To clarify, I'm not justifying it, I just think that most actions are rationalised by the people who perform them, and it's a mistake not to try to understand that rationality if you want to judge or counteract them.

[ELs123]

(Original post by Octohedral)
I'm also not entirely convinced they wanted Bin Laden killed.

Me neither. I think they want to draw this war out as long as possible so that they keep getting american funding.

[abdiz12]

It's funny, because Bin Laden has been dead since December 2001.

[Iqbal007]

(Original post by ALazyThracian)
A Pakistani doctor who was recruited by the CIA to try to help locate Osama bin Laden and was subsequently accused of treason by the authorities in Islamabad has been jailed for 33 years.

Shakil Afridi, who set up a fake vaccination scheme in order to try to obtain a DNA sample from members of Bin Laden's family living in the compound in Abbottabad, was convicted in absentia under draconian laws in Peshawar. "Dr Shakil has been sentenced to 33 years imprisonment and a fine of 320,000 Pakistani rupees [£2,200]," Mohammad Nasir, a government official in Peshawar, told Reuters.

Mr Afridi, 48, a senior government doctor who worked in the north-west of Pakistan, is understood to have been recruited by the CIA when he was out of work and visited the US some time in 2009. After returning to Pakistan and providing information to Washington about sensitive tribal areas, he was subsequently called upon to try to help determine whether or not Bin Laden lived in the Abbottabad compound to which the CIA had been led.

The CIA tasked the doctor with setting up the fake vaccination programme. Reports suggest the scheme was not successful though others say that he was able to obtain a phone number for a resident of the compound which was then passed to the CIA and proved to be of vital importance.

Less than a month after the raid last May that killed Bin Laden Mr Afridi was detained by the authorities and accused of treason. The US repeatedly requested his release, saying any action he had undertaken had been to tackle al-Qa'ida and not to damage Pakistan.

Earlier this year, Leon Panetta, the US Defence Secretary, said Mr Afridi had been an essential part of the operation that traced and killed Bin Laden and denounced Pakistan's prosecution of the doctor. "For them to take this kind of action against somebody who was helping to go after terrorism, I just think is a real mistake on their part," he said.

In February, the US Congressman Dana Rohrabacher introduced legislation that called for Mr Afridi to be granted American citizenship and said it was "shameful and unforgivable that our supposed allies" had charged him.

The conviction of Mr Afridi, tried under the British-era Frontier Crimes Regulations (FCR) that still govern Pakistan's semi-autonomous tribal region, will only deepen the continuing antagonism between the US and Pakistan.

According to the laws under which the doctor was tried, he can appeal within two months.



Source: http://www.independent.co.uk/news/wo...n-7782497.html

So he helped bring the most wanted terrorist in the world to justice and what does he have to show for it? Life in prison

I think it's the fact that the US didn't even bother telling them or get their co-operation for it..........hence they are using it as a model to show others not to do the same.

"In February, the US Congressman Dana Rohrabacher introduced legislation that called for Mr Afridi to be granted American citizenship and said it was "shameful and unforgivable that our supposed allies" had charged him."

I see a lot of double standard in that.......but that's Dana for you, why is he always in trouble with Karzai, etc

[silent ninja]

Leona Panetta says they are fighting terrorism? Yes while American drones are indiscriminantly busy killing innocent villagers

This man helped a foreign force not only undermine his country but violate it's sovereignty. Take your blinkers off for just a moment: What do you think would happen to a Brit if they did this?

Getting Bin Laden is one thing. Steam rolling everything in your path, be it by invasion, violating a country's sovereignty, drones, killing civilians, threatening and bullying, is not the way to go about it. The ends doesn't justify the means. Look how many civilians have died for one man.

[Bellissima]

poor, poor man. and what will america do about this? nothing is my guess, they have got what they want out of him.

[Bellissima]

(Original post by silent ninja)
Leona Panetta says they are fighting terrorism? Yes while American drones are indiscriminantly busy killing innocent villagers

This man helped a foreign force not only undermine his country but violate it's sovereignty. Take your blinkers off for just a moment: What do you think would happen to a Brit if they did this?

bin laden was not pakistani and pakistan had been claiming not to know his location. how could this pakistani doctor know he was comitting "treason"? how would he know it is "undermining his country" or "violating its sovereignity"? the truth is he did not break any law.

[silent ninja]

(Original post by Bellissima)
bin laden was not pakistani and pakistan had been claiming not to know his location. how could this pakistani doctor know he was comitting "treason"? how would he know it is "undermining his country" or "violating its sovereignity"? the truth is he did not break any law.

To quote: "....he was subsequently called upon to try to help determine whether or not Bin Laden lived in the Abbottabad compound to which the CIA had been led."

Providing intelligence to a foreign force isn't treason? He was collecting information about the tribal areas.

We're not at war with Russia, but remember Alexander Litvinenko who was murdered by Russia (it's suspected). Let's say a Briton supplied the information of Litvineko's whereabouts. What do you think would happen to that person?

[ChampEon]

(Original post by Steevee)
It's Pakistan, what do you expect? It's hard to find a more duplicitous nation on this Earth.

I agree. After all these years, they still don't have the decency and balls to apologise to Bangladesh for the 1971 atrocities where they systematically killed an estimated 3 million Bengalis.

[Bellissima]

(Original post by silent ninja)
To quote: "....he was subsequently called upon to try to help determine whether or not Bin Laden lived in the Abbottabad compound to which the CIA had been led."

Providing intelligence to a foreign force isn't treason? He was collecting information about the tribal areas.

BIN LADEN - an internationally wanted man, a non-pakistani who for all this doctor knew was hiding unaware to the pakistani forces.

[Aspiringlawstudent]

DOCTOR WHO HELPED THE CIA FIND BIN LADEN?!

What a thoroughly decent time lord he is.

[Einsteinius]

(Original post by silent ninja)
Leona Panetta says they are fighting terrorism? Yes while American drones are indiscriminantly busy killing innocent villagers

This man helped a foreign force not only undermine his country but violate it's sovereignty. Take your blinkers off for just a moment: What do you think would happen to a Brit if they did this?

Getting Bin Laden is one thing. Steam rolling everything in your path, be it by invasion, violating a country's sovereignty, drones, killing civilians, threatening and bullying, is not the way to go about it. The ends doesn't justify the means. Look how many civilians have died for one man.

Amen

[silent ninja]

(Original post by Bellissima)
BIN LADEN - an internationally wanted man, a non-pakistani who for all this doctor knew was hiding unaware to the pakistani forces.

He was still supplying information to foreign intelligence.
We're not at war with Russia, but remember Alexander Litvinenko who was murdered by Russia (it's suspected). Let's say a Briton supplied the information of Litvineko's whereabouts. What do you think would happen to that person?

[Einsteinius]

The whole article sounds like propaganda to me.

[Bellissima]

(Original post by silent ninja)
He was still supplying information to foreign intelligence.
We're not at war with Russia, but remember Alexander Litvinenko who was murdered by Russia (it's suspected). Let's say a Briton supplied the information of Litvineko's whereabouts. What do you think would happen to that person?

i have no idea as i don't study british law, specifically on law surrounding this topic, nor do i know much about that case in depth.

this isn't that case though and this pakistani man has effectively lost his life for giving information to the USA about the whereabouts of a non pakistani fugitive, known to be behind the death of 100s/1000s+, whom pakistan claimed not to know anything about.

[SexyNerd]

(Original post by abdiz12)
It's funny, because Bin Laden has been dead since December 2001.