Provide more manpower to speed up war crimes trial

Ekattorer Ghatak Dalal Nirmul Committee brings out a procession from the Engineers Institution in the capital yesterday on the occasion of its sixth national conference. Photo: STAR

The government should appoint more investigators and prosecutors soon to expedite the process of war crimes trial, said speakers in a conference yesterday.
"It is right that the government has formed a tribunal for trying war criminals. But lack of logistics is delaying the investigation and trial process," Prof Muntasir Mamun said in the national conference of Ekattorer Ghatak Dalal Nirmul Committee at the auditorium of the Institution of Engineers, Bangladesh.
He said the government must provide all necessary logistics, and appoint more investigators and prosecutors for holding the trial immediately.
The speakers demanded that the identified war criminals must be arrested before the start of the trial to prevent them from misleading people through propaganda.
"There is a provision in the existing law that allows detaining those harmful to the society. The government should consider it with regard to war criminals," said Prof Kabir Chowdhury, president of the advisory committee of Ekattorer Ghatak Dalal Nirmul Committee.
"War crime is not a general offence. It is a crime against humanity and the provisions of existing laws can be applied against those accused of war crimes," said Mujahidul Islam Selim, general secretary of the Communist Party of Bangladesh.
Giving an example, he said Germany arrested the lieutenants loyal to Adolf Hitler before the Nuremberg trial began.
Lawmaker Hasanul Haque Inu said the present global stage is appropriate for trying war criminals with Rwanda, Bosnia and Cambodia holding war crimes trials.
Lawmaker Rashed Khan Menon said formation of a tribunal is not enough to ensure war crimes trial. The masses must be involved in the process.
LGRD and Cooperatives Minister Syed Ashraful Islam said, "Those who muddle up the issue of commodity prices with the trial do not want that the war criminals are tried."
"The June 27 hartal has nothing to do with the prices of essentials. It is a rehearsal for protecting the war criminals."
The hartal was called to scuttle the holding of war crimes trial, he said.
Ashraf said there is no objection from the international community to holding the trial; rather it assured the government of cooperation.
Shirin Akhter, president of Karmojibi Nari, Md Nurunnabi, president of the USA chapter of Ekattorer Ghatak Dalal Nirmul Committee and Prof AKM Saidul Haque, president of Peshajibi Samonnay Parishad, among others, spoke.
The two-day conference ends today.