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Burned Woman's Backers Refuse to Change Stand Despite Her Recantation

A P Kamath in New York

Nearly a week after Syeda Suffian recanted her testimony given in a New York court that led to the conviction of her ex-boyfriend, Sakhi, an organisation that had championed her cause, has issued a statement.

Without going into details about Suffian's U-turn, a letter from Sakhi, an organisation that seeks to help battered and abused South Asian women, said: "The recent events in Syeda's case make clear the difficult issues embedded in fighting against violence against women. Through our work, we have recognized the enormous internal and external pressures placed on survivors of abuse to make difficult life choices."

The letter reflected a statement from the Queens District Attorney's office, which said it was not unusual for victims of harassment and domestic violence to change their story because of the intense pressure on them from family members and community leaders.

Suffian had convinced the jury that Mohammad Mohsin, also a Bangladeshi, had doused her with gasoline and set her ablaze nearly four years ago.

But in a meeting with an imam and a subsequent interview with a reporter for Newsday, she said she had done a terrible wrong in blaming Mohsin.

Her recantation came a few days before Mohsin was to be convicted. The sentencing -- which could have brought him anywhere from eight to 25 years in prison -- has been postponed.

Defence Attorney Stephen Singer says he feels his client is fully vindicated. "An innocent man has been sent to jail," he said. He also slammed the organisations that had led demonstrations in front of Mohsin's house. Mohsin was tried in public before a jury could try him, Singer said.

The eloquent testimony of Suffian was more effective than the defence for Mohsin, 31, who has been asserting that Suffian set herself afire to demand that he marry her. Last month, Sakhi feted Suffian and Davanand Singh, the assistant district attorney who fought her case.

But a few days ago, Suffian said she had accidentally set herself on fire, but had decided to blame Mohsin at the instigation of her relatives.

Mohsin's attorney had suggested that Suffian, angry at Mohsin because he was going in for an arranged marriage, had set herself on fire to blackmail him.

Sakhi's letter sent by Prema Vora, its programme director, said: "We especially understand the complex struggles faced by women who testify against their abusers in the courts. Just as it is common for women to not report abuse, it is not altogether uncommon for women to recant testimony. A criminal court conviction or an arrest of one's former intimate partner does not necessarily guarantee a survivor's peace of mind; there are many emotional battles that a woman must still wage."

The Sakhi letter also noted: "Our role as advocates against violence is to inform each woman about her options, to allow her to make her own decisions, and to respect her right to choose her own path."

Sakhi leaders seemed to have no self-doubt about their support for Suffian.

"As a South Asian organisation working to end violence against women, we have always supported women such as Syeda Sufian who have suffered and endured in spite of the odds against them," the letter added. "We continue to offer our support and services to Syeda during this extremely difficult period in her life."

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