& çâÌæÚUæð´ ·¤è ¥ôÚU Îð¹Ùæ ÁæÚUè ÚU¹ð´ ¥ÍæüÌ ¥ÂÙð ÜÿØ ÂÚU ŠØæÙ ÚU¹ð´Ð ãæÚU Ù ×æÙð´, €UØô´ç·¤ ·¤æ× ·¤ÚUÙð âð ¥æÂ·¤ô ©gðàØ ·¤è Âýæç# ãôÌè ãñ ¥õÚU ÁèßÙ ·¤æ ¹æÜèÂÙ ÎêÚU ãôÌæ ãñÐ ÖÜð ãè ÁèßÙ ×ð´ ç·¤ÌÙè Öè ·¤çÆÙæ§ü €UØô´ Ù ¥æ°, çÁ™ææâæ ¥õÚU ©ˆâæã ÕÙæ° ÚU¹ð´Ð ŠØæÙ ÚU¹ð´, ÜÿØ ã×ðàææ ¥æÂ·Ô¤ Âæâ ãôÌð ãñ´ çÁ‹ãð´ ÂæÙð ·Ô¤ çÜ° ÂýØæâ ¥æÂ ·¤Öè Öè àæéM¤ ·¤ÚU â·¤Ìð ãñ´Ð

1971 War Crimes

Move against Pakistan at int'l court

ICT people in Dhaka term it 'flawed', 'conspiracy'

Staff Correspondent
A Bangladeshi organisation yesterday claimed to have filed a petition with the International Criminal Court (ICC) in The Hague, the Netherlands, seeking legal action against Pakistan for the crimes committed by its army during the Liberation War.
But the ICC, which has been governed by the Rome Statute, doesn't have jurisdiction over any events before July 1,2002, when the statute came into force after ratification by 60 countries.
Besides, only the countries that ratified the Rome Statute or the United Nations Security Council or the prosecutor of the ICC are eligible to lodge any complaint with the ICC.
Meanwhile, people involved with the war crimes trial in Bangladesh have termed the move a "conspiracy" against the ongoing trial.
Asked, Mustafizur Rahman, a leader of Projonmo' 71, an organisation of martyrs' children, said, "We are aware of the matter. Actually, we have filed the petition to pressurise [the ICC] into bringing necessary amendment to its law so that it can deal with our appeal."
At a press conference at the Jatiya Press Club yesterday, Azizur Rahman Aziz, who claimed to be the president of Projonmo' 71, said he appealed to the ICC on January 15 to investigate the crimes committed during the Liberation War in 1971 by the Pakistani
army and sought action against Pakistan.
"I, as the president of the organisation, have a collection of all proof including video footage, deeds and documents |of the crimes]," he said and asked for an international investigation into the atrocities.
About their organisation, Mustafizur said there are two factions of Projonmo' 71. One is being led by Azizur Rahman while eminent journalist Shaheen Reza Noor, also the son of martyred journalist Serajuddin Hossain, leads the other faction.
Contacted, Shaheen yesterday said Azizur is a "self-proclaimed president".
His initiatives went against the stance of Projonmo' 71 on the war crimes trial, he alleged.
"Our official stance is that war criminals, whoever they are and wherever they live, will have to be tried as per our local law and at our war crimes tribunals," he said.
Tureen Afroz, a prosecutor of the International Crimes Tribunals, told The Daily Star that bypassing the tribunals, they had filed the "faulty petition” with an ill-motive to undermine the achievement of the ongoing trial process.
Around 30 lakh people were killed and over two lakh women were raped at the hands of Pakistani occupation forces and their local collaborators during the nine-month-long war in 1971.