[ALOCHONA] RE: International Crimes Tribunal

                It is encouraging to see someone showing interest in the ongoing International Crimes Tribunal in Dhaka.
 
However, there are some serious misgivings in some of the basic ideas expressed here. I will try to touch upon a few:
 
1.  Only the State, not individuals, can bring charges of War Crimes at a specially set up Tribunal (i.e. not an ordinary criminal court).
      We, the citizens, have been pressing for a trial of the war crimes of 1971 for all these years, yet no 'regime' in power, not even the Awami League led regime in 1996, had been forthcoming until this present Govt.  It should not be forgotten that one of the election campaign promises made in 2008 by the Awami League and its alliance parties was to hold the War Crimes Trial. It really was the people's mandate to hold the War Crimes Tribunal.  I  do not see how any doubt can be expressed about that.
 
             Therefore, I am not sure what  you are doubtful about.  The Tribunal has been set up due to intense pressure from the non-partisan Citizens' Groups.  And, we are already complaining about the lack of Govt. efficiency.  The Govt. funding is not adequate. Nor are there enough legal and experienced professionals manning the Prosecution.  The Jamaatis, on the other hand, are massively armed with expensive Counsels, some hired from abroad.  Talk about "dominant narrative"!  The Defence section of this Tribunal is a spectacle of DOMINANCE!  They are also very clever in spreading lies and rumors.
 
2.   An International War Crimes Tribunal has to abide by certain international Conventions and Treaties to which Bangladesh is a signatory.  The Dhaka Tribunal has been assured of logistical support by the UNDP.
 
       Your feeling that it is "trap" to punish the Opposition -- a ridiculously illogical concept to begin with -- simply flies in the face of reality.  Think of it carefully  -- members of the Opposition were either involved in war crimes of 1971 or not.  Suddenly, after 40 years, one cannot be trapped as a 'war criminal'.  Since the present Tribunal intends to bring to justice only those personnel against whom there had been proven evidence, as symbolic of the massive accounts of atrocities committed during the months of 1971, there can be no logic or basis to the allegations of setting up a trap.
 
3.  Once again, the Tribunal is an entity totally separated from the rest of the country's normal, day-to-day judiciary mechanism.
        You, and all the others should follow the progress of the Tribunal and then give your opinions in a more knowledgeable way.
        For example, here is a latest piece of news:
 
http://www.unbconnect.com/component/news/task-show/id-48496
 
         Hope I have been able to clear certain ideas.  It would be beneficial for all -- on every side of the conflict -- not to form assumptions based on deliberately disseminated misinformation.
 
                 Farida Majid 

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To: alochona@yahoogroups.com
From: msahmed21@yahoo.co.uk
Date: Fri, 20 May 2011 05:24:27 +0100
Subject: [ALOCHONA] Re International Crime Tribunal

 

Undoubtedly, every victims of crime deserves sympathy and  every criminal deserve punishment for the crimes they have committed. Indeed we are in a position to offer our supports and symparhy to the victims of 1971. But unfortunately, none of us are in a position to bring the real criminals to justice.

 

The tribunal that has been set by the regime in power in Bangladesh has so far failed to convince the nation that they are actually trying to bring the real war criminals to justice. Most of none partisan citizens like my self are in doubt about the international crime tribunal and the intention of the government.

 

Many of us feel that the govt has created a trap in the name of international war crime tribunal to punish a group of people they dislike.

 

Since the present government came into power, are we convinced that the judiciary has been functioning independently? There are many verdict given by the HC and SC which are clear evidence of partisanship judgement in favour of the government. Under these circumstances, it is most likely that many innocent people will become victim of the trap that has been created.

 

Unfortunately, our nation is blindly divided into two group, one is AL and the other is BNP. When BNP comes into power, they promote their own judges, Police Officers, Attorney General etc. The same happends when AL comes into power, which is why, it is not going to be a fair trial. In fact, this trial will create a ground for another trial and our vengeance politics will continue. The only option we have to get the internal and international approval of a fair trial if we can hire some international Judges from ICC, The Hague or Nnuremberg.

 

Khoda Hafiz.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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