War criminals barred from fleeing Bangladesh

BANGLADESH: Bangladesh has barred suspected war criminals accused of murder, rape or other crimes during its bloody 1971 independence struggle from leaving the country, a minister said Saturday.

"Instructions have been given to relevant authorities so that identified war criminals cannot flee the country," junior home minister Tanzim Ahmed told AFP.

He declined to give the number of people accused of being war criminals who are alleged to have committed such crimes as murder, rape or arson.

But Law Minister Shafiq Ahmed said earlier in the week the number would be "in the hundreds" and that they would be tried according to Bangladesh's International Crimes Tribunals Act passed in 1973.

The announcement came after the country's parliament overwhelmingly approved a proposal on Thursday paving the way for speedy trial of alleged war criminals. Bangladesh's newly-elected Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, who led her party to a landslide parliamentary election victory last month, told parliament the "trial of war criminals is a must and will be carried out".

The Awami League government has said it plans to move quickly with the trials, despite the United Nations' having urged the administration to do its homework on the cases and proceed carefully.

The issue was a key pre-election pledge of the Awami League and analysts said it helped the party win massive support from young voters, who make up one third of the electorate.

War crimes have been a big issue in Bangladesh ever since the country won its independence from Pakistan after a nine-month liberation war in 1971. Three million people were killed during the struggle, according to the government.

Dhaka, Sunday, AFP