Justice delayed, not denied
It was so heartening to learn about the long awaited judgment on the Bangabandhu murder case. The Supreme Court of Bangladesh unanimously upheld an earlier judgment that found all those 12 rogue officers of the armed forces guilty of the worst crime in the history of Bangladesh. Unless some miracle happens, these criminals will be hanged for the murder of Sheikh Mujib and his family members on August 15, 1975. However, not all the guilty criminals are in jail now. Only five murderers are imprisoned in Dhaka jail. The government of Bangladesh must now try to bring the fugitives home through extradition treaties signed with those countries where they are hiding and implement the verdict. It took more than 34 years to eventually find justice on this case of monumental importance to tens of millions of Bangladeshis. It was delayed justice, but not denied; it was by all accounts a welcome verdict. The verdict showed that a killer can run and even hide under the skirts of the beneficiaries of a gruesome killing but justice may still prevail. The Supreme Court verdict also proved that even when we least expect justice in a country that has become hopeless for the victims, not everything is lost; the victims can still smile and see light at the end of what once appeared to be a never-ending judicial circus. So, who knows we may even live long enough to see the war criminals of 1971 hanged for their horrendous crimes! Thirty-eight years probably is not too long a waiting time. Let's keep our hopes alive and have a sweet dream for now!
For all latest news, follow The Daily Star's Google News channel.
Comments