*** Support Mohammed Atif Siddique in court on Tuesday *** SACC meeting Tue evening - Doors Open, From Plantation to Pollok, From Kabul to Kennishead
Mohammed Atif Siddique - Appeal Court Hearing on Tuesday 9 February 10am High Court, Lawnmarket (Royal Mile), Edinburgh - map
Assemble outside the court from 9.00am Support for Mohammed Atif Siddique welcome outside and inside the court (please show respect and courtesy to the court).
Mohammed Atif Siddique will appear before the Appeal Court again on TUESDAY, following a decision on 29 January that he had suffered a miscarriage of justice when he was convicted for "terrorism" in September 2007. He'll find out then whether the Crown is seeking to bring a fresh prosecution. Atif's friends and supporters fear that Crown lawyers, incredibly, may try to do just that. If they do, Atif's legal team will no doubt be arguing robustly that no new prosecution should be allowed.
Atif Siddique has already served nearly four years of his 8-year sentence (which runs from the date of his arrest, in recognition of the long delay before his case came to court). His original trial lasted 4 weeks. Any fresh prosecution would be an outrage, piling further anguish on top of the miscarriage of justice that the Appeal Court says Atif Siddique has already suffered. The Appeal Court said at the end of last month that it was "minded" to quash Atif's conviction. It should do that.
* Please come along to show your support from 9.00am (for 10am), even if you can only spare 10 or 15 minutes.
* Better still, please set aside the morning or the day so that you can show your support for Atif through any legal arguments that develop, and so that you are there if, finally, he walks free.
A packed court makes a difference. Please pack the court for Mohammed Atif Siddique.
For more information, contact Richard 07719822164 or email contact@saccnet.org.uk
Background
The Appeal Court in Edinburgh ruled on 29 January that Mohammed Atif Siddique, jailed for eight years for "terrorism" offences, had suffered a "miscarriage of justice" and that it was "minded to quash" his conviction.
Mohammed Atif Siddique was arrested at his family home in Alva, Clackmannanshire in April 2006. His case came to trial in the aftermath of the terrorist attack on Glasgow airport. Atif was convicted in September 2007 and subsequently sentenced to 8 years in prison.
Speaking on the steps of Glasgow High Court after Atif's conviction, his solicitor Aamer Anwar said:
"Today Mohammed Atif Siddique was found guilty of doing what millions of young people do every day, looking for answers on the internet. This verdict is a tragedy for justice and for freedom of speech. It undermines the values that separate us from the terrorist, the very values we should be fighting to protect."
In a case that made legal history, Aamer Anwar was charged with contempt of court as a result of his remarks. The case against Aamer Anwar was heard by three judges sitting in the High Court of Justiciary, Edinburgh in April 2008. A judgement clearing him of contempt was given on 1 July 2008.
Mohammed Atif Siddique 's appeal was heard in Edinburgh in July 2009. Donald Findlay QC, for Mohammed Atif Siddique, and Derek Ogg QC, for the Crown both described Section 57 of the Terrorism Act 2000 as "draconian." Derek Ogg QC also described it as "controversial" and "unusual."
Appeal Court ruling - SACC report, 29 Jan 2010
ann arky's home.
