Washington (BBN)-The US supports the ongoing war crimes trial of Bangladesh and also understands the “importance of its painful chapter”.
The comment came when US Department of State’s Spokesperson Jen Psaki was replying to queries on October 29 from newsmen as part of her daily briefing in Washington.
“….as we have said since the time of the first verdict in Bangladesh’s International Crimes Tribunal, we support bringing to justice those who committed atrocities in the 1971 war. We understand the importance of this process in closing a painful chapter in Bangladesh’s – Bangladeshi history,” Psaki said.
A special tribunal in Bangladesh on Wednesday awarded death penalty to Jamaat-e-Islami chief Motiur Rahman Nizami for his crimes against humanity that he had committed during the Liberation War of the country in 1971.
The71-year-old former lawmaker was found guilty in eight among 16 charges, according to the tribunal.
On another query on the transparency of the war crimes trial, the US spokesperson said: We also believe – as you touched on, Jo – that trials should be fair and transparent, and in accordance with international standards Bangladesh has agreed to uphold through its ratification of international agreements, including the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights.
The US spokesperson also referred to US Ambassador-at-Large Stephen Rapp’s observation on the issue saying, “Countries that impose a death penalty must do so with great care in accordance with very high standards of due process and respect for fair trial guarantees.”
“I’m not in a position to evaluate the trial, other than to convey that those are values and standards that we expect countries to abide by, said Psaki.
BBN/ASI/AD-30Oct14-11:00am (BST)
