To the editor:

We are outraged at the injustice brought upon Tanveer Hussain, the young man whose picture appeared in the lead article in Wednesday’s paper under the blazing headline, “Indian snowshoer indicted on sex abuse charge.” We believe that he committed no such crime.

The supposed “evidence” consists of the questionable claims of a child and texts that he couldn’t possibly have written because he did not speak, understand, read or write English at that time (and he is still at a beginner’s level). [Editor’s note: Chuck Cairns, one of the authors of this letter, says he has been Hussain’s English tutor since mid March.] Abid Khan, the man who accompanied Tanveer Hussain to Saranac Lake, reports that the girl had followed them around like a “nutcase” (Khan’s term). And why was that child even in the pool hall of the Porcupine Inn at that hour? Khan reports that she was not invited there, and she certainly had no business there other than to harass Tanveer. Khan speculated that perhaps she brought the false charge out of spite because Tanveer pushed her away when she made advances on him. We find that suggestion far more plausible than the child’s claim.

We believe that the district attorney did not adequately evaluate the validity of the claims against the defendant before proceeding to prosecute him. Rich Shapiro’s letter of May 10 points out several misleading statements in arguing against a relaxation of bail conditions. And on Tuesday she announced the indictment to the press before even informing her colleague, Brian Barrett, the attorney defending Tanveer; that’s uncollegial to say the least.

The DA has brought a very weak case against a highly vulnerable person who is the sole breadwinner of his family in Srinagar, Kashmir. And his reputation is being damaged by this press coverage, which is circulating among Kashmiri newspapers. It is wrong in the extreme to detain him here. We are of the firm opinion that he is entirely innocent of any crime.

Brian Barrett says in Wednesday’s paper that Kristy Sprague is motivated by her desire for press coverage. We suspect that she’s also motivated by excessive prosecutorial zeal, a grave threat to justice.

Chuck and Helen Cairns

Ray Brook