Prison Sentence of the Day

A Pakistani doctor who helped the CIA locate Osama bin Laden has been convicted of treason and sentenced to 33 years in prison. Held for a year, Shakil Afridi was tried under a set of tribal laws that human rights organizations have criticized for failing to provide due process -- people have no rights to legal representation, to present material evidence, or to cross-examine witnesses. U.S. officials say Afridi helped the CIA by running a hepatitis vaccination program to collect DNA and verify bin Laden's presence  in Abbottabad. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton had hoped to see Afridi freed, saying his work served Pakistani and American interests. Pentagon spokesman George Little said today that "anyone who helped the United States find bin Laden was working against al-Qaida, and not against Pakistan." This development does not bode well for U.S.-Pakistani relations -- the two countries currently are engaged in talks over reopening NATO supply routes to U.S.-led troops in Afghanistan. [shortformblog]