ISLAMABAD: Barrister Toby Cadman, a British lawyer who is contesting the Jamaat-e-Islami (JI) leader’s trial being tried by a war crimes tribunal in Bangladesh, has said in a workshop that the International community needs to unite against the trial of JI leaders and work out a course of action to stop the Bangladeshi government from persecution of its opponents.
“The process of trials is fixed as the prosecutors and judges have collaborated in these cases to deliver as per narrative of the Bangladeshi government which is enjoying support of India,” Barrister Toby Cadman said.
Toby Cadman, who is appearing in the International War Crimes Tribunal as Counsel of Jamaat leaders is currently in Pakistan on invitation of Society for Research in International Laws. Cadman also expressed his concerns over continuous persecution of opponents of the Bangladesh government which, he said, also wanted trial of Pakistan’s military ******rs in their absence. “The BD government wants a quick trial of Pakistani military ******rs, so to hold Pakistan responsible for what happened in 1971,” the British lawyer said.
He said if asked he would also be ready to contest cases of Pakistani military ******rs. He said the process of trial is fixed and biased as in case of Salahuddin Qadar as many as five Pakistani witnesses testified that Qadar was in Pakistan at the time alleged crimes against him.
The senior British lawyer was of the view that the war crimes tribunal set up by the Bangladesh government should also have tried Mukti Bahni for crimes the group committed during 1971.
To a question, Toby Cadman said that severing diplomatic ties and imposing eco**mic sanctions on Bangladesh could be the last option, saying the International community should first try other ways to stop the trials by the so called war crimes tribunals.
“Pakistan and the United States need to be more vocal in these cases,” he said.About imposition of sanctions against Bangladesh, he said such harsh steps would effect the ordinary people, therefore, it was required to try other methods first.He also called upon the United Nations to carry International and independent assessment of persecution of opponents of the Bangladeshi government.
07-01-2016, 04:43 AM
International community needs to unite against trial of BD JI leaders
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