গণহত্যার অভিযোগে শেখ হাসিনার বিচার দাবীতে
আমেরিকার প্রেসিডেন্টের কাছে স্বারকিলিপি
আমেরিকার প্রেসিডেন্টের কাছে স্বারকিলিপি
Date : 17 March 2013
His Excellency Barack
Obama
President
The United States Of
America
1600 Pennsylvania Ave
NW, Washington, DC 20500
Re: Memorandum to end the genocide against
Bangladeshi citizens and to end the show-trial of opposition leaders in Bangladesh
Dear
A. An ominous episode of genocidal intent:
Bangladeshi police and other elite forces are suppressing the opposition with
lethal force and rampantly shooting on the unarmed civilians killing hundreds
It
is with deep sadness and dismay the entire world is witnessing the atrocities
being perpetrated by the current regime of Bangladesh on unarmed civilians. The
regime setup the so-called “International Crime Tribunal” which is not
following minimum standard of international law but summarily executing the
opposition leaders and acting as another branch of regime oppressive arm. This
Kangaroo Court gave their third verdict of execution of popular Islamic scholar
Mowlana Delwar Hossain Saydee on Feb 28, 2013. This verdict angered
millions of Bangladeshis home and abroad. Millions of people instantly reacted
with protest march and civil disobedience against this judicial killing of
their beloved leader. The response by the Police and Rapid Action Battalion was
brutal, their shooting rampage against these unarmed civilians caused hundreds
of death and thousands of injury by bullet wounds.
On
the subsequent days, the opposition political parties Bangladesh Nationalist
Party, Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami and other political organization called for
the general strike which is the constitutional right but the vicious and brutal
repression by the police forces caused a score of death and destruction. Regime
security forces and their mercenaries attacked the BNP central office and
vandalize the compound, beaten up the central leaders and activist. This type
of cold blooded torture and murder of the opposition political activists by the
regime has no room in the civilized world. International community will
construe these brutal actions as “Genocide” and will seek for actions to stop
this genocide with UN intervention. However, we request through you that
Bangladesh Government stop these atrocities immediately so no more innocent
life is lost and good governance and harmonious political atmosphere prevails
in Bangladesh.
B. The so-called war crimes tribunal is
completely inconsistent with international standard of justice and rules and
procedures for international crime tribunals
The
international community now has rich jurisprudence from the following
tribunals: Nuremburg, Tokyo, UN Tribunal for Yugoslavia and Rwanda, Sierra Leon
and Cambodia tribunals. These Tribunals have already established jurisprudence
with respect to evidence and proceedings in war crime tribunals. The
jurisprudence of these tribunals is a source of international law which
Bangladesh is bound to comply with.
Moreover,
Bangladesh Government has a treaty obligation to maintain international
standards in criminal trials. Bangladesh has signed and now a party to the UN
International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights of 1966 (ICCPR, a treaty
obligation Bangladesh undertook since 2000). Also, Bangladesh has signed the UN
Convention against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or
Punishment of 1984 (a treaty obligation Bangladesh undertook since 1998). Thus
any police investigation and criminal trials must comply with this treaty
obligation. Most importantly, in March 2010 Bangladesh ratified the Rome
Statute of the International Criminal Court (ICC). Thus any war crime tribunal in Bangladesh
must comply with the international obligations.
But
the international community has concluded that the rules and proceedings of the
war crime tribunal in Bangladesh are completely inconsistent with international
standard. The International Bar Association, International Center for the Transitional
Justice, The Human Rights Watch, Amnesty International and the U.S.
Ambassador-at-Large for War Crimes, Mr. Stephen Rapp, all have found serious
flaws in the international war crime tribunals of Bangladesh. Although the
International Bar Association has made17 recommendations for bringing the war
crimes tribunal into line with international standards, the current Government has
completely ignored all the recommendations. Similarly, Bangladesh Government
has ignored recommendations of other human rights bodies to correct the flaws
in the war crime tribunals of Bangladesh.
Our
demand
In view of the above issues, we are the concerned
Bangladeshi American in the USA presenting the following five point demand:
First: Stop the genocide and any other form of atrocities
immediately and allow the opposition political parties to hold peaceful protest
rally and other form of constitutionally mandated political rights.
Second: Restore the rule of law and refrains from supporting
and/or perpetrating of all kinds of undemocratic activities, and political
repression
Third: Release those who are detained unlawfully, and
compensate the victims
Fourth: Form an international tribunal under the auspices of the
United Nations for the conduct of the AL proposed trial of war crimes and crimes
against humanity as opposed to AL orchestrated trial for its own political
vendetta that is set to defeat justice and human rights.
Fifth: Ensure the multi-party democracy, and restore the
caretaker government to ensure the free & fare Parliamentary election.
Thank you.
On behalf of
US-BNP ( Bangladesh Nationalist Party)
&
FDRB ( Forum for Democratic Right of Bangladesh)
No comments:
Post a Comment