News
Notes
Justice
Delayed
Another death anniversary of Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman
passed without any progress in the long-stalled case of his
murder. The appeal by the 12 accused who received death sentence
are yet to be heard. Three years have elapsed since the day
the sentence was read out in the Trial Court. The case still
remains pending with the Appellate Division of the Supreme
Court, which is short of one justice for forming a three-member
division bench required to hear the leave to appeal petition.
The situation can be corrected if the government appoints
a judge to the Appellate Division on ad-hoc basis. However,
possibility of such a move by the present government is almost
nil. It is only after the present chief justice will retire
paving the way for a new judge to be appointed in the Appellate
Division that the case will resume. For now, the execution
of the verdict on the killers of Bangabandhu and his family
is delayed till March 2007, the time when the appointment
of the present justice expires. It is the 14th amendment that
enhanced the retirement age of the High Court judges by two
years sealing the fate of the case for next three years.
First the High Court spared three of the fifteen accused and
now the accused in death rows are trying to stall the process.
Four of the accused have been living in the condemn cell since
their sentencing. And if the hearing is deferred till 2007,
the accused will complete 10 years in there, which will further
complicate the judicial process. Khan Saifur Rahman, the counsel
for defense, recently said to a newsman that after spending
five years in condemn cell the accused may plead for a number
of privileges.
Professor
Humayun Azad Passes Away
Writer and Professor of Bangla at Dhaka University, Humayun
Azad, passed away in Munich last week. Azad had gone to the
German city on August 8 to fulfil a long-cherished dream --
to research on romantic German writer Heinrich Heine. Three
days later, after Azad failed to meet an appointment with
a PEN (International Association of Poets, Playwrights, Editors,
Essayists and Novelists) member, he was later found dead in
his apartment. The cause of death has so far been determined
as natural, according to German embassy officials, though
more tests of stomach contents, etc, for poisons, toxins and
alcohol are being done. Azad's death comes roughly six months
after a deadly machete attack on him by unidentified assailants
outside the Bangla Academy during the Ekushey Book Fair. Azad,
as well as his family blamed the attack on Islamic fundamentalists.
Receiving news of his death two days after he actually died,
his family, suspecting foul play, have demanded an international
investigation. On August 15 the Charge d' Affair to the German
embassy in Dhaka paid an official visit to prof Azad's home
to pay his condolence to the bereaved family. He also reiterated
the fact that Azad died of a cardiac arrest. As per his last
wish, Azad's body will be donated to Dhaka Medical College
Hospital.
Attack
on Ahmadiyyas Continues
There is no letting up of the effort by the Islamist extremists
to marginalize the minorities. Recently their hatred was directed
against the Ahmadiyys of Khulna. The Islamist bigots in a
frenzy of Ahmadiyya bashing were threatening to destroy the
Nirala Ahmadiyya Mosque Complex of the city. On August 12,
the supporters of International Khateme Nabuwat Movement (IKNMB)
stood face-to-face with the police cordon. The situation turned
most volatile after Shaikul Hadith Allama Moulana Azizul Huq,
chairman of the ruling alliance partner Islami Oikyo Jote
(IOJ), issued an ultimatum that any more delay in declaring
Ahmadiyyas non-Muslims would simply invite fall of the coalition
government. Speaking as the chief guest at a rally of over
30,000 people, Huq said, "The faithful Muslims will crush
all Ahmadiyya complexes in the country if adherents of Ahmadiyya
Jamaat are not officially declared non-Muslims.
Fortunately, this time around, the government response to
the threat was quick, and Anti-crime Rapid Action Battalion
(Rab) and 10 platoons of riot police were deployed to cordoned
off the mosque area. And, security was beefed up in the areas
where the local chapter of IKNMB organised the rallies after
juma prayers.
Although many newspapers reported that a major debacle had
been averted, it was not until the zealots put up a sign that
declared the mosque a "Kadiany (Ahmadiyya) prayer house"
that the crowed dispersed. And, this is not the first event
in which Ahmadiyya mosques are branded as such. The most interesting
feature of this renaming spree is that the law enforcement
agencies are helping the religious fanatics in their effort.
Another
Unflattering Rating
Bangladesh now has another rating from the US. This time it
is being tagged as one of the worst performers in combating
human trafficking. The Foreign Minister, however, has stated
this is just not fair. He says that the US should upgrade
Bangladesh to a higher tier as the country has recently taken
proactive measures against human trafficking. A US team has
arrived in Dhaka to reassess Bangladesh's downgrading to tier
3 from tier 2. In May the US embassy in Dhaka gave a six-step
work plan for Bangladesh to follow in response to the "Human
Trafficking in Persons Report 2004". The Foreign Minister
says that the government has taken stringent measures 38 measures
after the report was submitted. "These include",
says the Minister stronger implementation of existing anti-human
trafficking laws, "greater conviction of traffickers
and more rigorous border screening measures".
Meanwhile, members of "Bangladesh Citizens Alliance Against
Trafficking" (BCAAT) at a rally have said that the US
report is motivated. They believe that the real reason for
this downgrading from tier 2 to tier 3 in the worst performing
category, was to pressurise Bangladesh to deploy its troops
to Iraq, something Bangladesh has been able to avoid so far.
BCAAT and SUPRO (Sushanoer Jonno Procharavijan) held a rally
against the move. Farida Akhter, convenor of BCAAT declared
that the US had no authority to interfere in the internal
affairs of Bangladesh. She also pointed out that the poor
are not criminals but victims of trafficking and that poverty
was the main reason behind human trafficking. She added that
US sanctions (which have been hinted at) will not reduce trafficking
in Bangladesh. Other countries sharing the unflattering title
of being in Tier 3 include Sudan, Sierra Leone, North Korea
and Cuba.
Copyright
(R) thedailystar.net 2004
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