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Bangladesh exploring trial of 1971 war crimes suspects with UN

By Bernard Hibbitts (editor) and University of Pittsburgh School of Law students.

[JURIST] The government of Bangladesh said Tuesday it is working with the UN to organize war crimes prosecutions for alleged violations stemming from the country's 1971 War of Independence against Pakistan and is considering trial in the International Criminal Court (ICC). Rights group Amnesty International welcomed the move, which will bring war crimes experts Louis Bickford, Priscilla Hayner, Bogdan Ivanisevic, and Alexander Mayer-Rieckh - all from the UN Development Programme (UNDP) - to the government's assistance. UNDP Resident Coordinator Renata Lok Dessallien has discussed proceeding under Bangladesh's International Crimes (Tribunal) Act 1973 with Law Minister Shafique Ahmed. State Minister for Liberation War Affairs Tajul Islam said the government would turn to the ICC to prosecute Pakistani military personnel. Any investigation will involve requests for documents from both Pakistan and the US, which supported Pakistan in the conflict. In March 2008, hundreds of Bangladeshi veterans issued a call for war crimes trials against those Bangladeshis who assisted Pakistani forces in the war. According to government records, around three million people were killed during the war. Bangladesh has never held trials for war crimes, as earlier governments have said trials would harm national unity. The Bangladeshi government has identified 1,779 war criminals from the 1971 war.

Full post as published by JURIST - The Paper Chase on April 08, 2009 (boomark / email).