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October 22, 2009

Afghan National Forcibly Held in US as Witness in Bribery Trial
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Back in the United States, an Afghan national forcibly held in the
United States to appear as a witness in a criminal trial has testified
for the first time. Ziaulhaq, who goes just by one name, was lured into
the US in August 2008 under the pretense of attending a celebration of
Afghan businesses. But it turned out to be a ruse by US prosecutors to
use him as a witness in a federal bribery case. Ziaulhaq was initially
jailed for three weeks and has spent the ensuing period living in a
Chicago-area motel against his will. He has been held along with two
other Afghans under the material witness statute, which allows for the
detention of witnesses who pose a flight risk. Testifying on Wednesday,
Ziaulhaq said, “I didn’t ask to be here. If it were up to me, I would
return to my country.”



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