Daily Times

FMC-Carswell Houston holds female inmates with serious medical and mental health issues. There are reports that Dr Aafia Siddiqui is under severe anxiety and serious mental health issues due to the worst spread of coronavirus in FMC Carswell.

Lea Ann Steitle-Blystone, an inmate who was recently released from prison for her country’s efforts, describing the conditions inside the jail she said in a tweet that inmates are facing Hunger, isolation with dangerous heat. “ I lived this horror at FMC Carswell. I am only home because FAMM helped me get compassionate release.” She tweeted. In her another tweet she said COVID-19 has become a death sentence inside the jail. “I lived this horror at FMC Carswell.

In conformity with BOP data, 200 women had tested positive as of early July which now has jumped to at the peak of more than 500 coronavirus cases at federal medical prison Carswell and during in past three weeks, the cases have exploded from three to 200. Out of the 1,357 inmates, 918 have been tested while more than three hundred women are waiting for their test results.

According to foreign media Since April, many inmates have told that they were concerned the virus could spread through the prison. Holli Chapman, Carswell inmate said, “We’re like a whole bunch of hamsters in a cage chasing our own tails,”

Another inmates who have tested positive for the virus is Reality Winner, a former government contractor who is serving a five year prison sentence after she pleaded guilty to mailing a classified report to a news organization.

By early July, the prison had reported only three confirmed cases of the virus among inmates. In contrast, a prisoner, Andrea Circle Bear, had died in April due to this mysterious virus. On July 12, 69-year-old Sandra Kincaid became the second woman to die there from the virus. She was serving a 470-month sentence out of Tennessee for conspiracy to sell drugs and conspiracy to commit money laundering. She had been in custody at Carswell since July 2018. The third, 51-year-old Teresa Ely died in the same month.

Carswell’s Administration states its position that it is taking precautions to stem the virus’ spread. As with any type of emergency situation, they carefully assess how to best ensure the safety of staff and inmates. They also clarified that facilities are implementing the BOP’s guidance on mitigating the spread of COVID-19.

On the other hand, while giving the statement to the local newspaper, the intimates denied the Carswell’s claim and told that the said facilities did not have enough sanitizing supplies or protective equipment. Cells are not immediately cleaned after someone tests positive and mattresses used by women who have tested positive are piled up in a TV room. They protested helplessly.

Mendy Forbes, an inmate at Federal Medical Center Carswell said, “We have run out of toilet paper and have no soap for our bathrooms. We are put into solitary confinement and get out one time a day for only 10 minutes.” According to Mendy Forbes, It’s a prison with more than 1,600 women who have special medical and mental health needs. Life on lockdown is frustrating and scary. It is punishment for speaking to the media about conditions inside the prison, she added.

Adding, there are about 250 women in a housing unit but only about 120 chairs. They sleep four to a cell and less than three feet apart. Everyone’s expected to wear the same disposable mask every day. The unit across the hall was put under quarantine because of a suspected coronavirus case, but officers still move between that quarantined unit and hers. Forbes said.

Aafia Movement Pakistan leader and noted neurophysician, Dr Fowzia Siddiqui told Dailytimes that FMC Carswell Jail of Texas, USA, where Pakistani woman scientist Dr Aafia Siddiqui is imprisoned has infected thousands of female inmates and killed many due to worst outbreak of coronavirus. Women in prison expressed their concerns that they are afraid the virus will spread through the close quarters of the prison like a wildfire. She added.

Referring to a woman Lea Ann Steitle-Blystone, who was recently released from the US jail she told that Lea Ann got compassionate release because her country raised voice for her and finally made her release possible. But, on the other hand, Aafia has been in imprisonment due to the apathy of Pakistani rulers and simply they are wasting the opportunity to get released Afia.

As asked about follow up the case, she spoke in heartrending tone that the apathy of our rulers is leading us towards disappointment. Whether knocking the court’s door or accessing to our rulers, she had never neglected even a single minute. “I requested high court to direct the government to discharge their lawful duty assigned to them by the constitution and international charters and treaties and contact the US government to provide the proof of well-being of Dr Aafia by arranging a live video call of her with her family and submit her health report” even from the platform of Afia Movement we have sent 125 reminders so far to keep our government awaken and we will keep putting it until Afia’s release. She reiterated.

According to Dr Fowzia, Afia was last spoken two years back on telephone with her family members. Since then despite many efforts she was not allowed to talk to her family members. As Federal law officer’s statement to the Sindh High Court (SHC) in April that Dr Aafia Siddiqui, is not affected by COVID-19 is not much enough for our family satisfaction.

Due to the pandemic, various prisoners of different countries had been released by the US government. She requested honorable SHC to issue a notice to the ministry of foreign affairs to come up with reply as to what efforts had been made by them for the release of Dr Afia imprisoned in foreign jail. She also requested the SHC to direct the federal government and ministry of foreign affairs to make arrangements for a telephonic call of Dr Aafia with her family members and also call her health report through the US authorities.

Earlier, in May 2013, the SHC had disposed of a petition regarding Dr Aafia with a direction to the federal government to explore means and make efforts within reasonable time towards a bilateral agreement for her release in the light of two conventions between Pakistan and the US.

Interestingly enough, the issue of Afia’s release is almost completely ignored by the nation’s politicians, civil society, so called NGOs and security establishment who are perhaps either afraid of losing the full moon of their power or may have deliberately silenced their feelings for the daughter of nation.

Why Pakistani ruling elites are apathetic with regard to Dr Afia’s return, the answer may lie in the fact that they never dare to confront with their foreign masters to perpetuate their eternal rule. As it turns out, Afia’s release is never favored by enlightened class of Pakistan. That is, seemingly, she is facing infidelity of her own people. I realise infidelity is a strong word, and it is one I use after careful consideration.

Yet no one from any of the politico-religious parties ever spoke to her favor. But everyone wants to cash in on Malala’s only, and only because it sells at a much higher price in front of their foreign masters.

Minutes after a historic speech of an innocent Aafia delivered in 1991, I was surprised how could anyone dare to accuse a promising and innovative girl of being a foreign agent, disgustingly, it is an orchestrated story. At several points I found myself blinking away tears as Afia’s beautifully spoken words expressed compassion, empowerment of women and a great level of maturity. She helped understanding the women’s actual image in Islam, easing the cobwebs from the minds of so many disillusioned with our part of the world.

It is absolutely unfair to consider as part of radical group. Dr studied at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, US, and did her PhD in genetics and has become a well versed and highly qualified. She was prosecuted in the US for allegedly attacking US soldiers in Afghanistan and sentenced by a US court to 86 years in prison in September 2010. Afterwards, the sentence awarded to Dr Aafia Siddiqui by a US federal court will go down in the history of the world’s judicial system as most cruel and inhuman.

Last but not the least, the present democratic elected government, despite its towering claims of obtaining her release, also proved to be impotent for similar reasons. This is really a great tragedy.

Regardless of guilt or innocence of Aafia Siddiqui , Shouldn’t it be a joint statement among all political & security stake holders in Pakistan that she has been subjected to cruel and inhumane treatment for a long time which must now eliminated in every possible way.

Here, an excerpt from Yvonne Ridley’s article published in 2118, is enough to understand the facts behind the non implementation of Aafia’s release.

“What I have learned from all of this is that Dr Aafia Siddiqui would be free now if she was not a Pakistani citizen. Despite all the demonstrations and protests in Pakistan — and tears shed for the so-called “Daughter of the Nation” — she is not going home. Astonishingly, not one single official request has ever been made to the US authorities by the government in Islamabad to have her released. Yvonne Ridley “

Standing on the verge to death, Dr Aafia still hopes apathetic rulers for her release.