<i>Campaign in support of war crimes trial stressed</i>
A team of the International Crimes Tribunal (ICT) visits Unasattarpara Mass Graveyard at Raozan upazila in the district recently.Photo: STAR
Local political leaders and cultural activists emphasised the need for launching an awareness campaign involving members of the civil society to make the war crimes trial a success. Such a campaign is needed to inspire the witnesses and relatives of the victims to provide the investigation teams of the International Crime Tribunal (ICT) with proper information, they said. Relatives of the martyrs of the War of Liberation said they feel insecure with start of the war crimes trial process as the suspected war criminals have become powerful and have been politically established during the last 40 years. They have spoken of their frustration when a group of people loyal to BNP Standing Committee member Salauddin Quader Chowdhury, also a suspected accused in the Nutan Chandra Singha case, were seen vocal in support of him during the recent visit of the International Crimes Tribunal team on September 24. Nutan Chandra, founder of herbal medicine factory 'Kundeshwari Owshadhalaya at Raozan upazila, was killed on April 13 in 1971. A group of supporters of SQ Chowdhury gathered outside the Kundeshwari Owshadhalaya on September 24, protesting the inquiry by the International Crimes Tribunal team. “It is really frustrating that very few activists of pro-liberation forces were seen that day,” said a family member of a victim of Jagatmallapara mass killing preferring anonymity. Prof Dr Gazi Salehuddin, who lost his father during a mass killing at Pahartali in the city on November 10 in 1971, expressed his dissatisfaction over the lack of political and cultural programmes in support of the trial. He said the present government has started the long-cherished trial process which would go through legal procedure, but a mass awareness campaign or a movement is necessary in this regard since the war criminals are now powerful and can try to foil the trial by any means. He mentioned about the mass movement initiated by late Shaheed Janani Jahanara Imam in 1990s in this regard. Workers Party of Bangladesh Chittagong unit leader Amrito Barua echoed the same, saying political and cultural programmes in support of the trial would inspire the victims' family members and witnesses to provide the International Crimes Tribunal investigators with information without any hesitation. Udichi Shilpy Gosthi Chittagong District unit President Prof Abul Mansur said a unified cultural movement is needed to support the trial. During a view exchange meeting with the Home Minister Sahara Khatun on Thusday at Chittagong Circuit House local AL leaders also raised the issue and emphasised involvement of the party to assist the on-going investigation against the war criminals. AL Chittagong South district unit General Secretary (GS) Moslem Uddin at the meeting blamed the party high-ups for not informing the local leaders about the recent visit of a team of the International Crimes Tribunal in Chittagong. When contacted Moslem told The Daily Star that trial of the war criminals is very tough since many documents and evidences have been lost in last forty years due to lack of proper preservation. He underscored the need for political programmes in support of the trial and for engaging the politicians in assisting the investigation teams to provide evidences and documents. He said if the culprits could escape the trial this time again due to poor investigation it would be a debacle. Advocate Iftekher Saimul Chowdhury also expressed his opinion for raising mass movement against the war criminals to motivate the people in support of the trial.
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