Crew Of Hijacked Afghan Jet Tortured After Return Home
LONDON (AFP) - The co-pilot and two stewards from an Afghan jet that was hijacked earlier this year and diverted to Britain have been tortured since returning home, a British newspaper reported Monday.
The three were among 77 passengers and crew from an Ariana Airlines jet who volunteered to return to Afghanistan after the hijacking ended peacefully at Stansted Airport, near London, on February 7th.
According to The Times, all three crewmembers were arrested by Taliban officials who suspected the crew and their relatives of complicity in the plot to hijack the Boeing 727, which had been on an internal flight from Kabul to Mazar-i-Sharif.
Co-pilot Said Nabi Hashemi, 51, was badly beaten, said The Times. It added that the two stewards, Golhassan Sadiqi and Mohammad Humayon were both arrested after they returned to Afghanistan and were tortured.
All three have since fled on foot with their families to neighboring Pakistan and contacted United Nations officials to seek asylum in a third country, the newspaper said.
Britain is processing asylum applications from the 89 passengers and crew from the flight who opted to remain in Britain after the hijacking.
The report that some of those who returned home have been tortured is likely to increase pressure on the government to allow them to stay.
Home affairs minister Jack Straw had previously said he wanted to repatriate as many of the Afghans as possible.
