Hagley doc leads fight for justice

10:07am Friday 8th August 2008

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A HAGLEY surgeon is taking on the American government to help a fellow physician held in a military prison.

Human rights activist Dr David Nicholl is leading a campaign to force US authorities into action over an orthapedic surgeon caged at the notorious Guantanamo Bay jail for nearly seven years.

Egyptian born Ayman Saeed Batarfi, aged 38, has been in custody since he was handed over to soldiers in Afgahanistan after being wounded by an American attack helicopter.

His supporters say Dr Batafi was in the war-torn country to treat injured civilians during the war which broke out after the 9/11 attacks in New York.

Dr Nicholl, from Woodland Avenue, said: “He was ‘sold’ to the US military, he has never been charged with a crime, he has never had a trial and there are very real concerns about his own health, given his uncertain plight.”

“His only crime would appear to be trying to treat civilian casualties in a war zone.”

Dr Batafi was inspired to work in Afghanistan after operating on refugee children from the country in neighbouring Pakistan.

He went to Afghanistan to work with a charity called Al Wafa and became involved in a project to renovate a hospital in the capital city, Kabul.

After the 9/11 attacks the US declared Al Wafa an organisation which supported terrorists and Dr Batafi, although shocked by the announcement, resigned from the group left the country.

He later returned to Afghanistan and set up a clinic in Jalalabad which was then captured by hostile Northern Alliance warlords.

Again the doctor attempted to leave and it was while he made his way to the border that he was hit by US bombing and captured.

Dr Nicholl is now gathering support from medics around the World with an online petition calling for Dr Batafi to either be charged or released.

Among those supporting the petition is German trauma doctor Dr Wilhelm Kemmer, who met Dr Batarfi in 2001 in Kabul and signed a sworn legal document in support of Dr Batarfi’s legal case.

More information and the petition is available at www.gopetition.co.uk/petitions/justice-for-dr-batarfi.html