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May 5, 2006
Germany: Pakistani Muslim Who Threatened Murder Hangs Himself
The Pakistan Daily Times reports that yesterday on Pakistan's Geo TV it was announced that German authorities had "tortured to death" a Pakistani in custody.
Amir Abdu Rehaman Cheema was arrested in Berlin in March for attavking the editor of the German newspaper Bild because his paper had printed the controversial cartoons of the so-called Prophet Mohammed.
Nazir Cheema, the father of the would-be killer, told Geo TV that he had been telephoned yesterday, and informed that his son had died in police custody. He complained that the government in Pakistan was not going to take action.
Tasneem Aslam, spokeswoman for the Pakistan Foreign Office, confirmed that Amir Cheema had died and said that Pakistan had asked for details of the incident. She said: "German officials note to the embassy in Berlin read: Amir Cheema committed suicide in the prison by hanging himself with a rope." She continued: "Pakistan has stressed that Amir's body be handed over as soon as possible." Aslam said that Pakistan would consider launching a protest after receiving a final investigative report from German officials.
The six party coalition of Islamist parties of the MMA (Muttahida Majlis-e-Ama) tried to capitalise on the event, and attempted to bring up the issue in the Pakistan parliament, but to no avail. The MMA and particularly the Jamaat-e-Islami were the groups who spearheaded the Pakistan protests against the cartoons. The JeI leader, 67-year old Qazi Hussain Ahmad, was placed under house arrest in February when he used violent cartoon protests to try to destabilise the government. Five people were killed in Pakistan's cartoon demonstrations.
The MMA tried to get the Pakistan National Assembly tohold a special session to discuss the case. It stated in a motion signed by a dozen MPs: "Killing of Amir Cheema in German police custody has provoked public sentiment in Pakistan, which necessitates a detailed in-house discussion on the issue."
The story as presented by the BBC and DPA via Expatica is different, and strangely makes no mention of the potential murderer being "tortured".
When Cheema, who had come from the town of Rawalpindi, was arrested on March 18, he was trying to enter the office of Bild's editor. He was carrying a knife.
He was in Germany as a student of textiles in Moenchengladbach, and claimed to have been in Berlin to see relatives. German authorities are expected to give Cheema's body to the Pakistan embassy on Monday, for sending to his native country.
The BBC's correspondent in Berlin ridiculed the claims of torture, saying: "Torture is illegal in Germany and even the suspicion of torture would create a huge scandal."
According to the BBC, the editor whose life was threatened was from the newspaper Die Welt, not Bild.
Juliane Baer-Henney, a spokeswoman from Germany's Justice Ministry claimed that no-one else had been involved in Cheema's death. She said: "He used his clothing to fashion a noose and hanged himself on the grill over his window."
His body had been discovered at 8.35 am, two and a half gours after he was woken by guards.
Posted by Giraldus Cambrensis at May 5, 2006 7:10 PM
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