Editorial:Justice at last
We take pride that process has commenced
The long awaited process of justice has yielded its verdict against
Abul Kalam Azad alias Bachchu Razakar. The court awarded him capital
punishment under the International Crimes (Tribunals) Act 1973.
This
is commendable because of the extraordinary nature of the crimes he
committed. On the one hand, he stood against Liberation War and helped
the enemy. And on the other, he has been found guilty of perpetrating
crimes against humanity.
We also commend the government for its
single-minded determination to start the process, persist with it, and
bring about this first verdict.
By awarding capital punishment
to the guilty, the International Tribunal-2 has done justice on two
levels. First it has begun meting it out to those who eluded punishment
all these years since 1971. It has also repaid debt to those who fell
victim to his criminal designs.
As a member of a party that
actively opposed and worked against the national war of liberation, he
attacked and killed the sympathisers of the liberation war. In addition,
he committed crimes against humanity by participating in the genocide
of innocent people, particularly members of Hindu community.
The
due process of law has been observed. The charges brought against him
were established by evidences provided by the living witnesses including
relations of the victims. The accused was provided with a defence
lawyer to enable him to defend himself against the charges levelled
against him by the prosecution. But his prosecutor could not come up
with necessary defence as the accused has been absconding. His family
members also did not extend any cooperation.
The question of
any vengeance or political vendetta does not arise, nor can any
political motive be imputed to the trial process.
By conducting
the trial against the perpetrators of crimes against humanity in 1971,
the nation has demonstrated to the world that in Bangladesh law works
and even passage of long time does not make one immune from the
application of law and justice. With this historic verdict, Bangladesh
has come out of the culture of silence and vindicated itself through
carrying forward a much needed trial process.
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