HRW report 'biased and one-sided': Chief Prosecutor

Chief Prosecutor of the International Crimes Tribunal Md Aminul Islam has termed Human Rights Watch's (HRW) recent criticism of the tribunal's judicial process as baseless, one-sided and biased. He alleged that the report cannot be considered impartial as it was published without taking the prosecution or investigation agency's views.

He made the remarks while speaking to journalists at his office on Wednesday (July 29).

HRW recently issued a press note expressing concerns over international legal standards following the submission of charges in a crimes against humanity case related to the Hifazat-e-Islam rally at Shapla Chattar. The Chief Prosecutor was responding to that context.

Aminul Islam said if HRW had spoken to the prosecution or the investigation agency before preparing the report, the full picture would have emerged. Instead, their statement presented a one-sided account. He claimed such a report may have been published under the influence of vested interests or the accused parties.

He also dismissed HRW's query regarding similar statements from witnesses, saying it is natural for eyewitnesses to give similar accounts when multiple accused in the same incident are tried separately, as they are testifying about the same event. Any inconsistency would have been more questionable.

He added that similar types of crimes, attacks and use of lethal weapons across the country naturally result in similar evidence, leaving no room to question the transparency of the judicial process.

Aminul Islam also asserted that the capacity of the investigation and prosecution teams is beyond question. He informed that the investigation agency of the tribunal comprises 23 senior officers, including an Additional Inspector General of Police (Additional IGP), Superintendents of Police (SP) and Additional Superintendents of Police. The prosecution team consists of experienced criminal lawyers.

The Chief Prosecutor said the International Crimes Tribunal Act, 1973, is Bangladesh's own law, and therefore the trial will be conducted by the country's own judges, lawyers and investigators. There is no provision or need to bring in foreign judges or lawyers.

He further alleged that international human rights organisations like Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International often release reports without fully verifying information, raising questions about their impartiality. He said any report relying excessively on the statements of accused persons in pending cases cannot be considered an objective assessment.