BNP demands trial of all extrajudicial killings

CNI Desk: Claiming that around 3,000 people have been subjected to extrajudicial killings across the country over the last one decade of rule of Awami League, BNP on Thursday demanded proper trial of all such incidents.

"About 3,000 people have been the victims of extrajudicial killings in the country by police, Rab and DB personnel from January 2009 to December 2019, and most of them are opposition leaders and activists,” said BNP secretary general Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir.

Speaking at a virtual press conference from his Uttara residence, he also said 795 people died in jail while 601 were made disappeared over the last 10 years.

 

Besides, the BNP leader said, 7,806 women were raped, 1934 children tortured and 18 children killed during the period.

He said over one lakh political cases have been filed against at least 35 lakh BNP leaders and activists. “These statistics demonstrate that our beloved homeland which was liberated in exchange for the blood of lakhs of martyrs, the honor and chastity of lakhs of mothers and sisters has become now a valley of death.”

Referring to statistics provided by Ain o Salish Kendra (ASK), Fakhrul said 196 people became the victims of extrajudicial killings or custodial deaths from January to July 28 this year while 388 in 2019, 466 in 2018, 162 in 2017 and 195 in 2016.

About the murder of retired army major Sinha Md Rashed, he said his family members filed a case against police for killing him.

“Common people hardly dare file a case against police. As the entire nation has burst into a protest against the killing of the retired army officer, Sinha's family is getting the courage to seek justice. We want a fair trial in the murder of Sinha. We also want trial in all the extrajudicial killings, and we believe justice will prevail if a pro-people government is installed in the country.”

After the killing of Sinha, Fakhrul said, the ISPR informed that the police assured them that such incidents will not recur in the future. "If this is the case, then we want to say the decision to carry out crossfire is taken from the highest level of the police force.”

 

He said their party has long been repeatedly saying police force used to make false and fabricated stories after the incident of crossfire as “part of a blueprint” of the government to cling to power.

“Our such assertion has proved true following Sinha's assassination. You’ve already noticed the kind of drama that police have staged over Sinha's assassination implicating many innocent people in it. What a wonderful fiction… a crime fiction story has been made to divert the whole thing into a different direction and hide the real culprits,” Fakhrul said.

The BNP secretary general said the government now cannot control law enforcers as it earlier ‘used’ them to ‘eliminate’ the opposition and ‘rig’ votes at the dead night. “This fascist government has become a monster for people. We want an end to this situation. We believe this fascist government will be forced to go through a united movement of the people.”

Fakhrul said the killing of people by law enforcers without any trial never go with the spirit of the Liberation War. "Our constitution does not support it. The incidents of such disappearance, murder and torture to suppress dissent and rivals are considered crimes against humanity under section 2 (2) (a) of the International Crimes Tribunal Act, 1973.”

He said the Awami League government has turned Bangladesh into an ‘anti-humanitarian fascist’ state by taking a stand against the spirit of the Liberation War, the constitution and democracy.