Lawyer in bin Laden case quits after death threats May 12, 2014 - 16:56 AMT PanARMENIAN.Net - The lawyer for a doctor accused of helping the U.S. find Osama bin Laden said that he has quit the case after receiving frequent death threats, BBC News reported. Lawyer Samiullah Afridi also cited U.S. pressure on Pakistan for the release of Dr Shakil Afridi as another reason for his decision. Dr Afridi is accused of using the cover of a door-to-door vaccination campaign to help the U.S. find Bin Laden. Pakistan was not informed of the 2011 raid which killed the al Qaeda leader. Samiullah Afridi told the BBC that his life had been under threat since he took up the case two years ago. Afridi - who is not related to Dr Afridi - said he had left the country at one point because of safety fears. He said that militants had now given him a deadline to choose the "right way", by which they meant to leave the case. "I took the case on humanitarian grounds, but now I have to look for my own life, it is more important," he said. He also said U.S. pressure on Pakistan to release the doctor was "inappropriate" and was hindering the case. In addition, he said Washington's continued refusal to release Dr Aafia Siddiqui - a U.S. citizen of Pakistani origin jailed for alleged links to al Qaeda - was also "creating hurdles". Afridi, one of four lawyers representing the doctor, said he had "no option" but to quit the case. Dr Shakil Afridi was convicted of alleged ties to militant groups and sentenced to 33 years in jail by a tribal court in 2012. The sentence was widely seen as punishment for his alleged role in the Bin Laden raid, which he denies. His jail term was reduced by 10 years by a court in Peshawar earlier this year, after pressure from the US and the doctor's relatives. However, he still faces a separate trial in which he is explicitly accused of colluding with the CIA. U.S. special forces entered Bin Laden's compound in Abbottabad and shot him before flying the body out of Pakistan and burying it at sea. The raid was acutely embarrassing for Pakistan and the episode plunged relations with Washington to a new low.  Top stories Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev arrived in Moscow on April 22 to hold talks with Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin. Authorities said a total of 192 Azerbaijani troops were killed and 511 were wounded during Azerbaijan’s offensive. In 2023, the Azerbaijani government will increase the country’s defense budget by more than 1.1 billion manats ($650 million). The bill, published on Monday, is designed to "eliminate the shortcomings of an unreasonably broad interpretation of the key concept of "compatriot".   Partner news |  Latest news Power of One Dram sums up two-year program with Teach for Armenia  Idram Junior also joined the companies during the visit, bringing with it a fascinating intellectual game for childrenMoscow slams EU mission in Armenia for “provocative activity” The EU mission is doing more and more against Armenia’s neighbors Russia, Azerbaijan and Iran, Mikhail Galuzin said.Yerevan Mayor to travel to Paris on May 15-19 The official delegation headed by Yerevan Mayor Tigran Avinyan will travel to Paris from May 15 to 19.Armenia, India hold first defense consultations The meeting was attended by Indian Ambassador Nilakshi Saha Sinha and Defense Attaché Brigadier General Naveen Nijhawan. |
