Dear friends,
We wish to share with you the following report published in The Daily Star, a national English language daily newspaper of Bangladesh, on 1 March 2012.
The original story can be read at: http://www.thedailystar.net/newDesign/news-details.php?nid=224539 .
Asian Human Rights Commission
Hong Kong
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A Statement from the Daily Star, a national English language daily newspaper of Bangladesh, forwarded by the Asian Human Rights Commission
Presidential clemency political
Says Asian HR Commission
Staff Correspondent
President Zillur Rahman is exercising his power of clemency to fit the requirements of the ruling political regime, said Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) in a statement yesterday.
“Awarding clemency in Bangladesh has no other standard other than political considerations and the incumbent president is no exception,” it said referring to the president’s mercy for the second time to convicted killer AHM Biplob, son of Awami League leader and Mayor of Laxmipur municipality Abu Taher.
The rights body published the statement on its website “www. humanrights.asia” under the headline “Bangladesh: Clemency must not be a political game” days after Zillur Rahman exercised his official prerogative.
The AHRC statement said Zillur Rahman as the president of the country is just playing the same cards as his predecessors had and his successors would, with no sense of justice or humanity, to help the associates of his political party.
“The president misusing the constitutional texts is a scandal. A prime minister, who requires a president to do so, is equally responsible for the consequences,” it added.
The president has recently reduced Biplob’s life sentence in each of two murder cases to 10-year imprisonment. In July last year, Zillur Rahman pardoned the capital punishment of the same person in advocate Nurul Islam murder case.
“In a practical sense, it demoralises not only the judiciary but also the other professionals associated with the criminal justice process, including the investigation organs of the state like the police and lawyers, including prosecutors,” said the AHRC statement.
It concluded saying that the direct casualty of this despicable situation in Bangladesh is the very notion of justice, the foundation upon which the concept of democracy is built on.
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