Pakistani Verdict On 'CIA Doctor' Appeal Decision Postponed

Dr. Shakil Afridi worked for the CIA to help find Osama bin Laden.

PESHAWAR, Pakistan -- A court in northwestern Pakistan has postponed its decision on the appeal of a doctor who allegedly helped the CIA find Osama bin Laden.

Qamar Nadeen, a lawyer for Dr. Shakil Afridi, told RFE/RL on May 2 that the appeals court will now announce its decision on June 13.

Another lawyer for the doctor, Samiullah Afridi, said his client was on a hunger strike.

Afridi's defense team believes that the 33-year sentence imposed on their client last year under an archaic law in Pakistan's tribal areas was illegal.

They argue that the administrative officer in the Khyber tribal district was only empowered to impose sentences with a maximum of three years.

Afridi was charged with running a fake vaccination campaign in the northern garrison city of Abbottabad that helped the United States identify bin Laden's house there.