Jamaat links to UK war crimes meeting
David Bergman
London, June 23 ( bdnews24.com) -- A United Kingdom human rights parliamentary committee has admitted that a high-profile seminar it is hosting at the House of Lords on Bangladesh's 1971 war crimes trials has been organised with the assistance of a group accused of having links to the Jamaat-e-Islami.
Members of the Jamaat and its then student organisation Islami Chhatra Sangha are alleged to have committed crimes during the nation's war of independence from Pakistan in 1971.
The seminar discussing the compatibility of the International War Crime (Tribunals) Act 1973 with international legal standards is hosted by Lord Avebury and includes speakers from Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch and the International Bar Association.
In March 2010, the War Crimes Committee of the International Bar Association, an independent legal body, sent the Bangladesh government a legal opinion outlining changes that it considered should be made to the 1973 Act that would help ensure that the trials would be compatible with international legal standards.
Its detailed advice reflected the concerns previously set out by the international human rights organisation, Human Rights Watch, in a letter it sent to the prime minister, Sheikh Hasina in July 2009.
Even though the Bangladesh government has consistently stated in public that its trials will meet international standards, it has however yet to engage with these arguments in any level of detail.
Lord Avebury, the vice-chair of the Parliamentary Human rights Group, told bdnews24.com that although the invitations to the seminar on the 1973 Act were sent out in his name, Justice Concern provided clerical support in sending out the invitations. "[It] also recorded the answers, so that we have a list of those speaking and attending," he said. The e-mail address of Justice Concern along with its contact telephone number was on the bottom of all the invitations.
Inquiries made by bdnews24.com however indicate that Justice Concern, which was formed only two months ago, has links to the Jamaat-i-Islami in Bangladesh and its sister organisations in England.
Justice Concern's website is registered in the name of MKA Sikder, also known as Kamal Sikder who is the executive director of the UK-based jamaat-leaning Euro Bangla magazine.
In addition, Kamal Sikder, who now lives in the UK, admitted to bdnews24.com that "as a student ten years ago" he was a member of the executive council of the Islami Chaatra Shibir, the student organisation associated with Jamaat.
Surprisingly, Sikder said he had "no knowledge" that he had himself registered the Justice Concern website. "Kamal Sikder is a common name, it could be anyone."
When informed that the e-mail address in the website registration document was his, Sikder replied that he "would have to ask [Justice Concern] whether they used my name".
He denied that he had any role within the organisation. "All I know about Justice Concern is that I got an invitation to attend an event."
The chair of Justice Concern is barrister Asaduzzaman Bhuiyan (Fuad), who also has links to the Jamaat.
Bhuiyan is the executive co-ordinator of Bangladesh Forum Europe – an organisation well known in London's East End to have close links to the party through Islamic Forum Europe, its similarly sounding sister organisation in the UK. Its website has a picture of Jamaat chief Matiur Rahman Nizami as a guest speaker at a seminar.
Islamic Forum Europe was set up by UK-based Chowdhury Mueenuddin who, 15 years ago was accused in a British television Channel Four documentary of involvement in the abduction of intellectuals in December 1971 when he was a member of the Islami Chaatra Sangha. Mueenuddin denies the allegations.
Bhuiyan told bdnews24.com that initially Lord Avebury had agreed that the All Party Parliamentary Committee and Justice Concern would organise the meeting together. "However, Lord Avebury told us that in order for the meeting to be bipartisan, Justice Concern should not be involved."
Contrary to Lord Avebury's version, Bhuiyan told bdnews24.com, "We did not send out any invitations. I don't even know who is attending the meeting."
Bhuiyan denied that either Justice Concern or Bangladesh Forum Europe had any links with Jamaat politics. He said that he did not know Kamal Sikder, who had registered the Justice Concern site. "I am not in charge of IT issues. Somebody else did it."
Sikder, however, contradicted Bhuiyan when he told bdnews24.com that he and Bhuiyan did "know each other".
Lord Avebury appeared unrepentant that Justice Concern was involved in the meeting's organisation.
"I do know that Justice Concern is alleged to have links with the Jamaat, and I have been made aware that unfortunately it was for this reason that some organisations declined to participate in the meeting," he told bdnews24.com.
Many fear however that the involvement of a Jamaat-linked group in the organisation of a meeting on international standards will provide the government an excuse to discount the views of international lawyers raising concerns about the Bangladesh trials.
"It is important that the Bangladesh government gives serious consideration to the arguments made by organisations like the IBA, and Amnesty International, and not just ignore them," Rayhan Rashid from the War Crimes Strategy Forum, a coalition of independent activists working on the 1971 war crimes trials, told bdnews24.com.
"However, organising meetings jointly with Jamaat groups is not the way to get the government or others in Bangladesh to listen," Rashid said.
The Bangladesh high commissioner in London did not accept an invitation to speak at the meeting informing the parliamentary group that he was busy with the president's visit.
Chris Hall, senior legal adviser at the human rights organisation Amnesty International who is down to speak at the meeting, told bdnews24.com that he had no knowledge that Justice Concern was involved in the meeting, "I only had dealings with Lord Avebury."
He said that Amnesty International's position was clear, that "anyone regardless of affiliation or nationality who is suspected of international crimes should be investigated and if there is sufficient evidence, should be prosecuted."
At the end of March, the government established a three-member tribunal along with an investigation body and a group of prosecutors to hold trials of those accused of committing war crimes during the 1971 War.
The issue of whether the 1973 Act satisfies international legal standards -- the subject of the seminar -- is important to whether or not the trials, when they do take place, will be accepted internationally.
http://bdnews24.com/details.php?id=165375&cid=2
London, June 23 ( bdnews24.com) -- A United Kingdom human rights parliamentary committee has admitted that a high-profile seminar it is hosting at the House of Lords on Bangladesh's 1971 war crimes trials has been organised with the assistance of a group accused of having links to the Jamaat-e-Islami.
Members of the Jamaat and its then student organisation Islami Chhatra Sangha are alleged to have committed crimes during the nation's war of independence from Pakistan in 1971.
The seminar discussing the compatibility of the International War Crime (Tribunals) Act 1973 with international legal standards is hosted by Lord Avebury and includes speakers from Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch and the International Bar Association.
In March 2010, the War Crimes Committee of the International Bar Association, an independent legal body, sent the Bangladesh government a legal opinion outlining changes that it considered should be made to the 1973 Act that would help ensure that the trials would be compatible with international legal standards.
Its detailed advice reflected the concerns previously set out by the international human rights organisation, Human Rights Watch, in a letter it sent to the prime minister, Sheikh Hasina in July 2009.
Even though the Bangladesh government has consistently stated in public that its trials will meet international standards, it has however yet to engage with these arguments in any level of detail.
Lord Avebury, the vice-chair of the Parliamentary Human rights Group, told bdnews24.com that although the invitations to the seminar on the 1973 Act were sent out in his name, Justice Concern provided clerical support in sending out the invitations. "[It] also recorded the answers, so that we have a list of those speaking and attending," he said. The e-mail address of Justice Concern along with its contact telephone number was on the bottom of all the invitations.
Inquiries made by bdnews24.com however indicate that Justice Concern, which was formed only two months ago, has links to the Jamaat-i-Islami in Bangladesh and its sister organisations in England.
Justice Concern's website is registered in the name of MKA Sikder, also known as Kamal Sikder who is the executive director of the UK-based jamaat-leaning Euro Bangla magazine.
In addition, Kamal Sikder, who now lives in the UK, admitted to bdnews24.com that "as a student ten years ago" he was a member of the executive council of the Islami Chaatra Shibir, the student organisation associated with Jamaat.
Surprisingly, Sikder said he had "no knowledge" that he had himself registered the Justice Concern website. "Kamal Sikder is a common name, it could be anyone."
When informed that the e-mail address in the website registration document was his, Sikder replied that he "would have to ask [Justice Concern] whether they used my name".
He denied that he had any role within the organisation. "All I know about Justice Concern is that I got an invitation to attend an event."
The chair of Justice Concern is barrister Asaduzzaman Bhuiyan (Fuad), who also has links to the Jamaat.
Bhuiyan is the executive co-ordinator of Bangladesh Forum Europe – an organisation well known in London's East End to have close links to the party through Islamic Forum Europe, its similarly sounding sister organisation in the UK. Its website has a picture of Jamaat chief Matiur Rahman Nizami as a guest speaker at a seminar.
Islamic Forum Europe was set up by UK-based Chowdhury Mueenuddin who, 15 years ago was accused in a British television Channel Four documentary of involvement in the abduction of intellectuals in December 1971 when he was a member of the Islami Chaatra Sangha. Mueenuddin denies the allegations.
Bhuiyan told bdnews24.com that initially Lord Avebury had agreed that the All Party Parliamentary Committee and Justice Concern would organise the meeting together. "However, Lord Avebury told us that in order for the meeting to be bipartisan, Justice Concern should not be involved."
Contrary to Lord Avebury's version, Bhuiyan told bdnews24.com, "We did not send out any invitations. I don't even know who is attending the meeting."
Bhuiyan denied that either Justice Concern or Bangladesh Forum Europe had any links with Jamaat politics. He said that he did not know Kamal Sikder, who had registered the Justice Concern site. "I am not in charge of IT issues. Somebody else did it."
Sikder, however, contradicted Bhuiyan when he told bdnews24.com that he and Bhuiyan did "know each other".
Lord Avebury appeared unrepentant that Justice Concern was involved in the meeting's organisation.
"I do know that Justice Concern is alleged to have links with the Jamaat, and I have been made aware that unfortunately it was for this reason that some organisations declined to participate in the meeting," he told bdnews24.com.
Many fear however that the involvement of a Jamaat-linked group in the organisation of a meeting on international standards will provide the government an excuse to discount the views of international lawyers raising concerns about the Bangladesh trials.
"It is important that the Bangladesh government gives serious consideration to the arguments made by organisations like the IBA, and Amnesty International, and not just ignore them," Rayhan Rashid from the War Crimes Strategy Forum, a coalition of independent activists working on the 1971 war crimes trials, told bdnews24.com.
"However, organising meetings jointly with Jamaat groups is not the way to get the government or others in Bangladesh to listen," Rashid said.
The Bangladesh high commissioner in London did not accept an invitation to speak at the meeting informing the parliamentary group that he was busy with the president's visit.
Chris Hall, senior legal adviser at the human rights organisation Amnesty International who is down to speak at the meeting, told bdnews24.com that he had no knowledge that Justice Concern was involved in the meeting, "I only had dealings with Lord Avebury."
He said that Amnesty International's position was clear, that "anyone regardless of affiliation or nationality who is suspected of international crimes should be investigated and if there is sufficient evidence, should be prosecuted."
At the end of March, the government established a three-member tribunal along with an investigation body and a group of prosecutors to hold trials of those accused of committing war crimes during the 1971 War.
The issue of whether the 1973 Act satisfies international legal standards -- the subject of the seminar -- is important to whether or not the trials, when they do take place, will be accepted internationally.
http://bdnews24.com/details.php?id=165375&cid=2
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