Amir Cheema Explained

Amir Abdul Rehman Cheema (; 4 Dec 1977  - 3 May 2006) was a Pakistani Islamist and textile engineering student in Germany who entered the offices of the German daily newspaper Die Welt on 20 March 2006 with a large knife and attempted to murder Roger Köppel. Cheema was later arrested by building security guards.[1] [2] [3]

On 3 May 2006, while awaiting trial and in German police custody, he was found dead in his cell.[4]

Pakistanis questioned the German's official version of the story and three MPs from a coalition of religious parties introduced a motion in National Assembly of Pakistan to discuss the student's death.[5] While rumors spread after his death that he was tortured in the German prison, the German authorities produced a suicide note for Pakistan's foreign office.[6]

In the course of the investigation, the German judicial system concluded his death was a suicide.[7] [8]

Funeral

Initially Germany refused to hand over Amir's body but upon growing public sympathy in Pakistan, it was repatriated to the town of Saroke near the city of Wazirabad, in Punjab on Saturday 13 May 2006. At least 30,000 people gathered for his funeral, including Islamic party activists and religious students. The gathered crowd protested Amir's alleged torture, Farid Piracha, a lawmaker from the Jamaat-i-Islami party, saying "The killing of Cheema was a barbaric act. He was killed by torture".[9] [10] [11] [12]

Notes and References

  1. News: Pakistani found dead in German jail . Al Jazeera English website. 5 May 2006 . 19 July 2021.
  2. Web site: Matthias . Gebauer . Yassin . Musharbash . Suicide after attempted attack on editor-in-chief of "Die Welt" . Spiegel (German magazine). 5 May 2006 . 19 July 2021.
  3. News: Condemns death of arrested Pakistani. BBC News website. 5 May 2006 . Ijaz Mehr. 19 July 2021.
  4. Web site: Huge crowds at Pakistani funeral . BBC News website . 13 May 2006 . 19 July 2021.
  5. News: Reservations over Cheema death report . Dawn (newspaper) . 20 May 2006 . 19 July 2021.
  6. News: Berlin gives Amir's suicide note to FO (Foreign Office). 9 May 2006 . Dawn (newspaper) . 19 July 2021.
  7. News: Man suspected of cartoons revenge plot kills himself . The Scotsman (newspaper). 6 May 2006 . 19 July 2021.
  8. News: A death in Berlin reignites Muslim anger. Richard Bernstein. 10 May 2006. The New York Times. 19 July 2021.
  9. Web site: South Asia | Huge crowds at Pakistani funeral . BBC News . 2006-05-13 . 2013-05-11.
  10. Web site: Thousands mourn Pakistani student - Archive . Al Jazeera English . 2013-05-11.
  11. Web site: Amir Cheema's dead body to reach Lahore airport . PakTribune . May 13, 2006 . 2013-05-11.
  12. Web site: Amir Cheema's dead body to reach Lahore airport . Paktribune.com . 2013-05-11 . 25 December 2018 . https://web.archive.org/web/20181225213012/http://www.paktribune.com/news/print.php?id=143567%20 . dead .

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