Legal education in Bangladesh
I am a regular reader of the Daily Star for quite a long time.
But unfortunately I have not yet let you know how much I like it. This
has in fact become a forum for discussing on legal issues, and perhaps
only such forum so far in the country. I guess for two reasons I have
not reacted earlier: first is my inherent weakness in English and second
of is my poor knowledge of law. I am now writing because both the issues
have been well addressed my Mr. Karzon.
The writer
has proposed the introduction of English as the medium of instruction
in the Law Departments and then argued that the quality of the legal
education in Bangladesh is not good. My knowledge of law is poor, because
I studied law in the existing system of Bangladesh and also my English
is poor.
The author,
however, has attributed the most of the reasons to the fast-breeding
law colleges in the country. I have passed from Dhaka University. I
think we have to be a bit more courageous to shoulder our own responsibilities.
Forget about the Law Colleges, what about Dhaka University? I do not
consider the faculties at this premier law department sufficiently equipped
to teach law. Secondly, the curriculum is not upto date. I have been
hearing about the change in curriculum in the department for more than
ten years now. But how long will it take?
Sodoruddin
On E-mail.
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Protect
the consumers
In the absence of adequate laws and effective implementation of existing
laws millions of people of our country are being exploited by the dishonest
profit-hungry businessmen with adulterated goods, false weight and measures.
They are also being cheated in price and quality. In our present laws
there are very limited scope to fight against this . So to protect the
right of consumer a national policy is required. To establish the legal
rights of the consumer reform of related statutes like food laws, health
laws as well as a complete Consumer Protection Act is required. As per
our knowledge a draft of consumer Protection Act has already been formulated
but we don't know how much time the lawmakers will take to pass the
bill.
Swarnaly,
Uttara, Dhaka.
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ICC
Statute and Bangladesh
International Criminal Court is a very important step in the struggle
for human rights and to establish peace and security in the international
arena. It was a positive step of our Government to sign this historic
treaty 'The Statute of International Criminal Court in July'1998 as
a third Asian and first South Asian country. Logically after that we
are waiting for the ratification process. But now the scenario is changing.
When other signatory states are scrutinising the statute, our Government
has signed a bilateral non-surrender agreements with US. It is understandable
that our govt. is not so strong to say no to the big power, like US
but frankly speaking by this the state is not bound to avoid the statute,
rather, she is free to ratify the treaty.
Our government
must ensure the nation's interest and take further step to ratify the
statute so that no one can enjoy impunity in future. We can take the
example of Afghanistan, which is one of the ratifying countries and
now collaborating his municipal laws in line with the statute. As our
govt. is arguing with some provision with the Statute, the problems
can be solve gradually and if needed the procedural laws can be amended
as per requirement. It should not be an excuse to wave the matter by
telling many confusing issues.
Md. Zakir Hossain,
Nilkhet, Dhaka.
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Darkest
episode in recent history
The media is regularly carrying out the devastating reports on what
inhuman torture the Coalition Troop is doing to the Iraqi prisoners.
These several thousand civilian prisoners, who had been picked up in
random military sweeps and at highway checkpoints, including women and
teenagers were fell into three loosely defined categories: common criminals,
security detainees suspected of crimes against the coalition and a small
number of suspected high-value leaders of the revolution against the
coalition forces. These unfortunate prisoners are facing sadistic, blatant,
and wanton illegal abuses like breaking chemical lights and pouring
the phosphoric liquid on detainees, pouring cold water on naked detainees,
beating them with a broom handle and a chair, threatening male detainees
with rape, allowing a military police guard to stitch the wound of a
detainee who was injured after being slammed against the wall in his
cell, sodomising a detainee with a chemical light and perhaps a broom
stick, and using military working dogs to frighten and intimidate detainees
with threats of attack, and in one instance actually biting a detainee.
Even many prisoners were sexually abused. There are some shocking worldwide
revealed photographs and videos of these abuses, which are the evidences
to support the allegations.
Such dehumanisation
is strongly unacceptable in any culture especially in the Arab world.
The British-American army has made themselves guilty of violations of
human rights towards the prisoners. They showed utter disregard to the
Geneva Conventions. Under the fourth Geneva Convention, "an occupying
power can jail civilians who pose an imperative security threat, but
it must establish a procedure for ensuring that only civilians who remain
a security threat be kept imprisoned" and they disobeyed it. They
have misused their power, which is totally intolerable. So my plea to
the international lawmakers is, please take a good look at this inhuman
behavior of the Coalition Troop and help the ill-fated Iraqi captives
from the devilish grasp of those mongrels.
Julius Valentine Gomes
Student of BBA, BRAC University.
