Senior Correspondent, bdnews24.com
Published: 2014-01-17 01:14:59.0 BdST Updated: 2014-01-17 01:17:10.0 BdST
The European Parliament (EP) has acknowledged Bangladesh's International Crimes Tribunal role in trying suspected war criminals, and called authorities to protect witnesses before it.
In a resolution adopted on Thursday after debate, it, however, took note of its "considerable shortcomings".
Despite these, the ICT had played "an important role in providing redress and closure for victims of and those affected by the Bangladeshi war of independence".
The members of European Parliament (MEPs), however, called upon the government to abolish the death penalty and to commute all death sentences as it always campaigns against any death penalty in any circumstance.
The parliament passed a resolution on Thursday on Bangladesh's current political situation surrounding the elections in which they also took note of the war crimes trial issue.
Since a witness has been killed in southern Pirojpur district, the resolution called on the authorities "to urgently set up an effective mechanism" to protect witnesses in cases before the ICT.
The resolution called political parties to create a culture of respect and urged the BNP to distance itself "unequivocally" with Jamaat-e-Islam and radical group Hifazat-e Islam.
It also called authorities to release the Opposition political leaders who it believed were subject to arbitrary arrest
.http://bdnews24.com/bangladesh/2014/01/17/european-parliament-lauds-ict
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2014-01-17 00:59:18.0
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