Dhaka committed to holding war crimes trial

Law Minister Shafique Ahmed yesterday said the government is determined to conduct the trial of the 1971 crimes against humanity in accordance with international legal and human rights standards.
It is committed to brining an end to the culture of impunity to crimes of genocides, crimes against humanity and war crimes at the national and international levels, he said.
The minister was speaking at the Review Conference of the Rome Statute of International Criminal Court (ICC) in Kampala, the capital of Uganda. Delegations from 111 countries are participating in the conference, a law ministry press release said yesterday.
“We have initiated the trail of genocide, war crimes and crimes against humanity committed during the 1971 war of liberation,” he said. “This would bring justice to victims, heal the wound that we are carrying for the last 39 years, end the shameful legacy and help Bangladesh move forward with its agenda of development.”
Shafique, himself a lawyer by profession, said Bangladesh is proceeding with the trial of the criminals who committed crimes under the International Crimes (Tribunals) Act, 1973.
A tribunal has been set up to independently conduct the trial, and the government has also appointed an investigation agency and a team of prosecutors in accordance with the provisions of the act, he said, adding that the tribunal will be independent in the exercise of its judicial functions and ensure fair trial.
Bangladesh, the law minister said, was one of the 120 countries that voted in favour of adoption of the ICC Rome Statute.
Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, in her previous term in office, signed the Rome Statute on September 16, 1999, he added.