WASHINGTON : The US has asked Bangladesh to ensure “fair and transparent” trial by International Crimes Tribunal to investigate and prosecute suspects for the genocide in 1971 by the Pakistan Army and their collaborators.
“The United States supports bringing to justice those who committed atrocities during the 1971 Bangladesh war of independence. In that spirit, we have urged that the International Crimes Tribunal (ICT) trials be fair and transparent,” a State Department spokesperson told.
“They should be held in accordance with the international obligations that Bangladesh has agreed to uphold, including the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights,” the official said when asked about concerns raised by human rights groups and US lawmakers on imminent execution of Salauddin Quader Chowdhury.
“We have seen reports that the Appellate Division of the Bangladesh Supreme Court will review its verdict in the Salauddin Quader Chowdhury case,” the official said.
“The use of a war crimes tribunal to consider actions taken during a civil war is a profound responsibility, and its credibility – as well as the credibility of similar tribunals around the world depends on the highest standards of due process,” Senator Patric Lehay wrote in a recent letter to Bangladesh Ambassador to the US.
In his letter Leahy asked Bangladesh to stop the execution of political opposition leader Chowdhury and to ensure their controversial war crime tribunal proceeds under the highest standards of fairness and due process.
David Griffiths, Amnesty International’s South Asia Research Director alleged that the trial and appeals process were clearly flawed and since they now face the death penalty the ultimate miscarriage of justice may be only days away.
The ICT was set up by the Bangladesh government in 2010 to try people involved in crimes committed during the Independence War in 1971.
At that time, there were mass killings, rape and forced migration perpetrated by the Pakistan army and their collaborators who were fighting against forces seeking independence. (PTI)
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