Aftermath of the Bangladesh War Crimes Tribunal

"Some leaders have received sentences... but human rights groups say the tribunal falls short of international standards."

The Bangladesh War Crimes Tribunal recently sentenced a senior leader of the country’s biggest Islamist party to 90 years for mass killing and rapes during the Bangladesh’s war of independence in 1971.

3 million people have been killed and 200 thousand women were raped during the war.

Some party leaders have received sentences... but human rights groups say the tribunal falls short of international standards.

And when you place Bangladeshis together to discuss the War Crimes Tribunal, its effects echo even as far away as Sweden.

For some, there is no doubt that those on trial are guilty and should hang.

But others feel the trial will convict innocent people, just because of their political affiliation.

Mehmet Kaplan from the Swedish Parliament tried hard to keep order as tempers rises in the room.

“I really want you to respect each other, especially this building and me. Otherwise we can stop here and everybody can go home and be happy to be thinking what you are thinking…OK?”

It’s a seminar held by lawyers representing those on trial in the International Crimes Tribunal in Dhaka. The tribunal was set up to try alleged collaborators of the Pakistani army during Bangladesh’s war of independence.

People from the Bangladeshi diaspora also attended the meeting.

Abu Bakir Saddik Mola is a lawyer of the accused leaders of Jamat-e-Islami, Bangladesh’s biggest Islamist party. Some of its party leaders have been investigated and sentenced by the tribunal.

But he says lawyers were denied access to the defendants and the trial was politically motivated.

“The due process has not been maintained and there was a political motive and government is going to achieve it for their political purpose.The trial judges, investigators and prosecutors have been chosen because of their affiliation. It’s been said by many quarters.” 

Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch have confirmed this in their reports.

Three men have received death sentences from the Tribunal so far... including the party’s assistant secretary general, Muhammed Kamruzzaman in May this year.

”I was there when they arrested him,” says Mishat Miah, his daughter-in-law.

“I didn’t know much at that moment because they just said: ’We’ll say what the reason is after’. And it was very weird because I’m from Sweden and we’re used to that you first have an allegation and then you arrest somebody.”

Lawyer Abu Bakir Molla says Kamruzzaman and the others sentenced to death may be hang before year’s end.

“Most probably the government may hang one or two members of the Jamaat-e-Islami so that they can say to the people: look we have hanged war criminals to gain political support for the election.”
 
It’s four months away to the national election this year... and the Jamaat party has recently been banned from politics.

But Yasri Khan, chairman of Sweden’s Muslims for Peace and Justice says this might lead to a dangerous trend, like in Egypt.

“Banning political parties , we’ve seen historically that’s not a good idea. It usually leads to pushing organisations and movements underground. People will sooner or later be forced to take other forms of political participation and one of those ways would be to use violent means.”

At the seminar, one participant underlined that many people are suffering too.

“We’re looking forward and hope the government realizes that they’re not only playing with Jamaat parents, but they’re also playing with victims parents who died in 1971.”

• Sweden
• Bangladesh
• War Crimes Tribunal
• Bangladesh independence war
• Ric Wasserman