Justice Md Nozrul Islam Chowdhury, chairman of the newly reconstituted International Crimes Tribunal-2, on Tuesday said that no measure of violence and terrorism would succeed in stopping the tribunal from holding trials of atrocities perpetrated to quell the July uprising.
鈥榃e cannot be intimidated. Trials will go on despite bombs or threats. There is no reason to be afraid,鈥� said the chairman during a felicitation ceremony held at the makeshift courtroom on the tribunal premises on the day.
Attorney general Md Asaduzzaman and chief prosecutor Mohammad Tajul Islam congratulated the three judges of the reconstituted tribunal-2, which was formed on May 8 to reduce the case backlog concerning crimes against humanity during last year鈥檚 mass uprising.
The two other members of the tribunal are former district and sessions judge Manjurul Bashid and current Madaripur district and sessions judge Nur Mohammad Shahriar Kabir.
Justice Nozrul Islam, a retired High Court judge, called for public cooperation to ensure fair justice.
鈥榃ith your support, we hope to steer the boat of justice safely to its destination,鈥� he added.
The attorney general later told reporters that the interim government is committed to ensuring fair and transparent justice for crimes committed over the past 15 years under the Awami League regime.
鈥榃e want to ensure that no questions are raised鈥攅ither at home or abroad鈥攁bout the fairness of these trials,鈥� he said at the ceremony.
鈥業t is our expectation that justice will be done for the injustice, oppression and torture suffered over the last 15 years. We also want to make sure no one can again rig elections by voting at night鈥ust to stay in power,鈥� he said.
He added that ensuring international-standard trials would help fulfill the nation鈥檚 hope for justice and send a strong message against abuse of power in future.聽聽
Tajul Islam said that tribunal-2 officially began its activities through the felicitation ceremony.
He told journalists that several ongoing cases would be transferred from Tribunal-1 to the new tribunal, while new cases would also be filed directly with Tribunal-2.
The new tribunal has been established to reduce the caseload of Tribunal-1, which is currently handling 27 cases, including one against deposed prime minister Sheikh Hasina, former home minister Asaduzzaman Khan and former IGP Chowdhury Abdullah Al Mamun, according to the tribunal prosecutor (administration) Gazi Monowar Hossain Tamim.
聽As of June 16, the Office of the Chief Prosecutor received 339 complaints related to alleged crimes against humanity, according to data from the Tribunal鈥檚 Investigation Agency.
From those, 41 complaints have been selected for detailed investigation.
Formal charges have so far been pressed in two cases, while the Investigation Agency has sought arrest warrants in 30 others.
The prosecutors also said that investigation into several hundred complaints involving enforced disappearances, extrajudicial killings and other serious human rights violations during Hasina鈥檚 15-year rule remained still pending.
On early Monday, a crude bomb exploded near the tribunal gate beside Bangladesh Shishu Academy, hours before the tribunal had begun proceedings in a case against Sheikh Hasina.
The police also recovered seven abandoned crude bombs in front of the Dhaka University Medical Centre on its campus, close to the tribunal.
On June 1 also, during the tribunal鈥檚 first hearing on formal charges against Hasina, Asaduzzaman Khan and Abdullah Al Mamun, two crude bombs exploded near the tribunal gate.
