UN says verdict against Hasina 'important' step for victims but regrets death penalty
United Nations (PTI): The United Nations has said that the verdict against Bangladesh's ousted prime minister Sheikh Hasina on charges of crimes against humanity is an “important moment” for the victims, but expressed regret over the imposition of the death penalty.
UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres “fully” agrees with UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Turk on the position that “we stand against the use of the death penalty in all circumstances,” the UN chief's spokesperson Stephane Dujarric said at the daily press briefing here on Monday.
Dujarric was responding to a question on the Secretary-General's reaction to a Bangladeshi court sentencing Hasina to death in absentia.
Bangladesh's International Crimes Tribunal on Monday found Hasina guilty of crimes against humanity committed during the widespread protests against her government in July last year.
Hasina, 78, who has been living in India since her government was toppled on August 5 last year, was sentenced to death in absentia by the tribunal. Hasina's aide and former home minister Asaduzzaman Khan Kamal was also sentenced to death on similar charges.
Dujarric referred to a statement issued by Turk's office on the verdict, noting that UN human rights officials have been calling “diligently for perpetrators, including individuals in positions of command and leadership, to be held accountable".
"Accountability is critical. It is, of course, very important that people remain calm in Bangladesh following the assurance of the verdict and for all to exercise restraint in response to these developments,” he said.
Geneva-based UN Human Rights Spokesperson Ravina Shamdasani said in a statement that the verdicts delivered by the tribunal against Hasina and the former home minister mark “an important moment for victims of the grave violations committed during the suppression of protests last year”.
"We also regret the imposition of the death penalty, which we oppose in all circumstances," she said.
Shamdasani noted that since the UN fact-finding report was published in February, "we have been calling for perpetrators, including individuals in positions of command and leadership, to be held accountable in accordance with international standards. We have also called for victims to have access to effective remedies and reparations.”
The UN rights office report estimated that up to 1,400 people were killed between July 15 and August 15 during the student-led mass protests as the Hasina-led government ordered a sweeping security crackdown.
Shamdasani said while the UN Human Rights office was not privy to the conduct of Hasina's trial, "we have consistently advocated for all accountability proceedings, especially on charges of international crimes, to unquestionably meet international standards of due process and fair trial. This is particularly vital when, as was the case here, the trials have been conducted in absentia and led to a capital punishment sentence”.
Underlining Turk's call for calm and restraint, she said the High Commissioner hopes Bangladesh will move forward with a comprehensive process of truth-telling, reparation and justice as the pathway to national reconciliation and healing.
“This should include meaningful and transformative security sector reform, which respects international standards, to ensure that these violations and abuses are never repeated,” Shamdasani said, adding that the UN stands ready to support the government and people of Bangladesh in these endeavours.
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Odisha: Normalcy returns to violence-hit Malkangiri; internet services fully restored
Malkangiri (PTI): Normalcy returned to Odisha’s Malkangiri district on Monday, nearly a week after around 200 villages were damaged in violent clashes in a village, with the district administration fully restoring internet services, a senior official said.
Additional District Magistrate Bedabar Pradhan said internet services, suspended across the district on December 8 to curb the spread of rumours and misinformation following the clashes, were restored after the situation improved.
The suspension had been extended in phases till 12 noon on Monday.
The administration also withdrew prohibitory orders imposed under Section 163 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita within a 10-km radius of MV-26 village, where arson incidents were reported on December 7 and December 8.
Though the violence was confined to two villages, tension had gripped the entire district, as the incident took the form of a clash between local tribals and Bengali settlers following the recovery of a headless body of a woman on December 4, officials said.
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The violence broke out after residents of Rakhelguda village allegedly set ablaze several houses belonging to Bengali residents, forcing hundreds to flee. The headless body of Lake Podiami (51), a woman from the Koya tribe, was recovered from the banks of the Poteru river on December 4, while her head was found six days later at a location about 15 km away.
Officials said the district administration held several rounds of discussions with representatives of the tribal and Bengali communities, following which both sides agreed to maintain peace.
Relief and rehabilitation work has since been launched at MV-26 village, with preliminary assessment pegging property damage at around Rs 3.8 crore.
A two-member ministerial team headed by Deputy Chief Minister K V Singh Deo visited the affected village, interacted with officials and locals, and submitted a report to the chief minister.
So far, 18 people have been arrested in connection with the violence, the officials said, adding that despite the withdrawal of prohibitory orders and restoration of internet services, security forces, including BSF and CRPF personnel, continue to be deployed to prevent any untoward incident.
On Sunday, Nabarangpur MP Balabhadra Majhi visited MV-26 and neighbouring Rakhelguda villages, and held discussions with members of both communities as part of efforts to rebuild confidence and restore peace.
More than two lakh Bengali-speaking Bangladeshis were rehabilitated by the Centre in Malkangiri and Nabarangpur districts in 1968, and they currently reside in 124 villages of Malkangiri.
