Re: [ALOCHONA] EU opposes death penalty in Bangabandhu, mutiny, war crime cases

Dear Chou

Which one is politically motivated? The original killings of 1975 or the court judgemnt.

 

By the way your name is most interesting. Hmm..........are you rdescended from the family of Chou En Lai.

 

RK

-----Original Message-----
From: Chou
Sent: Jan 23, 2010 9:27 AM
To: alochona@yahoogroups.com
Subject: [ALOCHONA] EU opposes death penalty in Bangabandhu, mutiny, war crime cases

 

We knew from the beginning it was a politically motivated murder from the AL. Now the EU is saying so...

http://www.thedailystar.net/newDesign/latest_news.php?nid=21798

In a major development on the diplomatic front, the European Union stood opposed to the death penalty in what they called politically-motivated cases like murders of Bangabandhu, killings committed during the BDR mutiny and also war crimes.

European Union High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Catherine Ashton issued a statement on Saturday on the EU stand on the burning issues, saying that due legal process is a key safeguard of fundamental rights. And the EU welcomed the respect being shown in Bangladesh for the principle that judicial proceedings be free from political interference.

The pan-European grouping strongly supports the government's zero tolerance with regard to “extra-judicial” killings.

Catherine Ashton said respect for due process in high-profile trials is particularly significant for a country's international reputation.

“The EU is paying close attention to judicial proceedings concerning politically motivated murders committed in Bangladesh during, and shortly after, the struggle for independence, as well as those committed more recently,” says the statement.

The EU underlines its longstanding opposition on principle to the death penalty in all cases and in all circumstances.

“Our view is that the abolition of the death penalty contributes to the enhancement of human dignity and the progressive development of human rights,” said the EU statement, adding that the European Union reaffirms its commitment to work for the universal abolition of the death penalty.

Head of EU Delegation in Bangladesh Ambassador Dr Stefan Frowein said, "The European Union is paying close attention to the various judicial proceedings in Bangladesh this year concerning politically-motivated murders.”

He made it clear that this EU statement “applies to trials for all such crimes, notably, the 1975 murders of Sheikh Mujibur Rahman and his family members and others, murders committed during the 2009 Bangladesh Rifles mutiny, and potentially also war crimes committed during the country's struggle for independence”.

He said part of the reason why these cases are attracting attention in the EU is that they (EU) are “opposed on principle to the death penalty in all cases and in all circumstances”.

Five of the 12 the former army officers awarded capital punishment for the killing of the country’s founding father in the August 15, 1975 putsch by a military cabal are now on death row while six on the run and one already died.

Meanwhile the government is preparing for holding trial of the war criminals of 1971 liberation war while the trial of the mutineers for deadly BDR mutiny and murders of 57 army officers in command of the border force in their headquarters is underway.

Human-right groups and different quarters opposed deaths in ‘crossfire’ amid reported ‘encounters’ during the arrest of offenders in anticrime drives meant for stemming a tide of serious crimes. The government also has cleared its stand against ‘extra-judicial killings’.

__._,_.___

[Disclaimer: ALOCHONA Management is not liable for information contained in this message. The author takes full responsibility.]
To unsubscribe/subscribe, send request to alochona-owner@egroups.com

Your email settings: Individual Email|Traditional
Change settings via the Web (Yahoo! ID required)
Change settings via email: Switch delivery to Daily Digest | Switch to Fully Featured
Visit Your Group | Yahoo! Groups Terms of Use | Unsubscribe

__,_._,___