INTERVIEW: Philanthropist Robert Lorsch on Urging 'Zero Dark Thirty' Stars to Push for Release of Dr. Shakil Afridi at Oscars
As Hollywood prepares for this Sunday's Oscar Awards show, one man is doing everything he can to press the stars of nominated film 'Zero Dark Thirty' to push for the release of the doctor responsible for leading the U.S. to Bin Laden. His name is Dr. Shakil Afridi, and he's for years been locked and tortured in a Pakistani prison.
Philanthropist Robert Lorsch, who only learned of the doctor and his plight last week while in a meeting with Rep. Dana Rohrbacher, is hoping the stars of the movie will speak out on Sunday and ask for his release.
"The best stage I could think of to get something done would be the Academy Awards, where 'Zero Dark Thirty' is front and center," he said, later adding, "This is a man sitting in a prison being tortured on a regular basis [...] so that he could do what he was supposed to do for the American government."
Lorsch explained the events leading to Afridi's imprisonment, to the best of his ability.
"When it came time to get him out of Pakistan, as I understand it, there was an error made in some of his travel documents. He could have gotten out, but he did not want to leave the country without his wife, who could not have gotten out. [...] So he stayed behind, and he was arrested."
Hear the rest of his story, and what Lorsch thinks the chances are that the movie's celebs will show up for the cause.
