US indifference towards Aafia's medical needs 'cruel': lawyer

NEW YORK - Calling US authorities' indifference towards the critical medical needs of ailing Aafia Siddiqui, her lawyer Monday demanded that the Pakistani woman, who is charged with trying to kill American interrogators in Afghanistan, be immediately shifted to a hospital for treatment.

An angry Elizabeth Fink expressed her outrage that even after a court-ordered medical examination, Dr Siddiqui, despite her life-threatening condition, has not been provided the recommended treatment. "Her condition has significantly deteriorated since August four when she was brought to New York," Ms Fink told reporters in a Brooklyn park, a block away from a federal prison where she is being held under harsh conditions. "She (Dr Siddiqui) should be transferred to Bellevue hospital for urgent medical and psychological treatment," the lawyer added.

She also said that the US Attorney Michael Garcia (the prosecutor) informed her through a letter on Friday that an 11-year-old boy detained along with Dr Siddiqui appears to be the Pakistani woman's son.

Unlike Dr Siddiqui, who is in being held in the Metropolitan Detention Centre, the boy is in the custody of Afghan authorities, Ms Fink said, adding that the child, who appeared confused, has been interrogated by FBI agents several times.