A delegation of the 11-party alliance led by Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami has submitted a memorandum with seven demands, including that all cases of crimes against humanity committed during the July-August 2024 mass uprising be advanced quickly.
The memorandum was handed to Md Aminul Islam, chief prosecutor of the International Crimes Tribunal, at noon on Thursday, July 23.
Jamaat-e-Islami assistant secretary general Hamidur Rahman Azad and Amar Bangladesh Party (AB Party) general secretary Barrister Fuad were among the alliance’s senior leaders present. Members of the families of those killed were also with them.
The seven-point demands say investigation has not yet been completed at most of the main scenes of the killings that took place in July and August 2024. Full investigation of these sites must be completed quickly and the necessary steps taken to advance the trial of those responsible. Many accused police officers and other members of law-enforcement agencies have also not yet been arrested, and there are allegations that many remain in government posts. Those against whom sufficient evidence is found in investigation must quickly be brought under the law and the necessary legal action taken.
The memorandum adds that crimes against humanity were committed in 61 of the country’s 64 districts, but investigation of many incidents outside Dhaka, Rangpur and Kushtia districts has not been completed. Many identified people from the Awami League and its associate or affiliated organisations accused in the killings and attacks have still not been arrested, leaving victims and witnesses feeling insecure.
It also says investigations must be completed quickly against military and civilian individuals accused of enforced disappearance, killing and concealing or destroying bodies, and lawful trial ensured on the basis of adequate evidence. An abnormally slow pace has been observed in such investigations and trials, it says, creating concern and anxiety about justice among those seeking it and among victims’ families.
বাংলায় মূল প্রতিবেদন পড়ুন · Read the original Bengali report