THE death sentence that International Crimes Tribunal 1 delivered on November 17 against the deposed prime minister and the former home minister of the Awami League government was expected in the context of the crimes against humanity committed during the July uprising and the law of the land.聽While the public at large welcomed the verdict, some members of the Awami League and its affiliated organisations, in a desperate attempt to deny legal liability, have resorted to violence and made social media postings without showing any remorse for the lives lost or the crimes committed during the uprising. The Facebook comment by the deputy registrar of the University Dhaka, who allegedly sided with the perpetrators of the July massacre, on the day of the verdict, reflects a similarly remorseless stance. It is understandable that such a statement hurts the sentiment of students, who were at the forefront of the uprising. The deputy registrar鈥檚 stand is morally reprehensible. However, students, as the aggrieved party, storming his home and attempting to create a mob there is undemocratic and a reminder of the unruly legacy of the Awami League regime.
The police on November 18 confirmed that the proctorial team, along with some students, apprehended and took the deputy registrar in question to the Shahbagh police station and the police have showed him arrested under the Anti-Terrorism Act. Instead of trying to create a chaos and nuisance in front of his house, as seen in videos that circulated on social media, aggrieved students should have taken institutional and legal steps in the first place. On November 17, a group of 100-150 people vandalised the house of the brother of former member of parliament for the Dhaka 18 constituency Mohammad Habib Hasan and set it on fire at Uttara Sector 14. In times of restoring law and order, what is needed is a clear departure from the abusive past practices. That is still not the case. The law enforcement agencies, too, employ strategies that have been used to legally harass opposition activists under the Awami League regime. Before the verdict in cases of crimes against humanity in the International Crime Tribunal, the police checked people鈥檚 mobiles at various entry points, which is a violation of people鈥檚 right to privacy.
Relying on extra-legal measures and abuse of law to govern differences of opinion, even if the opinion is morally reprehensible and legally liable, is undemocratic and a continuation of the deposed government鈥檚 repressive legacy. The government should ensure that all involved, directly or indirectly, in July 2024 crimes against humanity are brought to justice and the democratic forces in society should show restraints and consider legal and institutional means to seek justice.
