Dhaka: Law minister Barrister Shafique Ahmed has said no one being tried by the ICT for crimes against humanity had been detained "illegally".
"No one was arrested without any reason. The arrests were made based on (verified) information for trials," he said on Saturday at a views-exchange meeting of secretaries of various ministries and human rights commission members at a city hotel.
Barrister Abdur Razzak, counsel to Jamaat-e-Islami leaders standing trial at the tribunal, told a media briefing on Feb 15 that the UN working group has issued a statement regarding the 1973 International Crimes Tribunal Act. In the letter, issued on Sep 23 last year, the UN group commented on the quality of the ongoing trials and the 1973 Act, barrister Razzak said.
Razzak said: "They (UN group) found evidence of mentionable 'obstruction' regarding the accused getting legal assistance, evidence and witnesses.”
In reply, law minister Shafique Ahmed on Saturday said, "The tribunal is trying the accused for human rights violations during the 1971 Liberation War in Bangladesh. We have received a written statement from the United Nations. In it, they have claimed that the government illegally detained them."
The minister said detaining someone 'illegally' is not the same as 'arresting' someone for trial. He went on to describe the differences between the two procedures.
Detaining illegally is holding someone without any charge, information and whose trial procedures have not started. But there are definite charges against each of the arrestees standing trial at the ICT, he said. "The investigation is going on, the trials have kicked off. So, these arrests can in no way be called 'illegal' detention," Shafique said.
"No one was arrested without any reason. The arrests were made based on (verified) information for trials," he said on Saturday at a views-exchange meeting of secretaries of various ministries and human rights commission members at a city hotel.
Barrister Abdur Razzak, counsel to Jamaat-e-Islami leaders standing trial at the tribunal, told a media briefing on Feb 15 that the UN working group has issued a statement regarding the 1973 International Crimes Tribunal Act. In the letter, issued on Sep 23 last year, the UN group commented on the quality of the ongoing trials and the 1973 Act, barrister Razzak said.
Razzak said: "They (UN group) found evidence of mentionable 'obstruction' regarding the accused getting legal assistance, evidence and witnesses.”
In reply, law minister Shafique Ahmed on Saturday said, "The tribunal is trying the accused for human rights violations during the 1971 Liberation War in Bangladesh. We have received a written statement from the United Nations. In it, they have claimed that the government illegally detained them."
The minister said detaining someone 'illegally' is not the same as 'arresting' someone for trial. He went on to describe the differences between the two procedures.
Detaining illegally is holding someone without any charge, information and whose trial procedures have not started. But there are definite charges against each of the arrestees standing trial at the ICT, he said. "The investigation is going on, the trials have kicked off. So, these arrests can in no way be called 'illegal' detention," Shafique said.
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