IPU wants fair trial in Aug 21 grenade attack, Kibria killing

The Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU) today expressed deep concern as none was held responsible for in a court of law in the August 21 grenade attack on Bangladeshi Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and killing of Shah AMS Kibria in 12 years.

The IPU committee on Human Rights of Parliamentarians said justice delayed, justice denied and it "hopes that the trial will proceed swiftly and that further progress will promptly be made towards ensuring full accountability for this serious crimes, in conformity with national and international standards of fair trial, including those regarding the application of capital punishment, and without any political interference."

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It also called for a fair trial of August 21 grenade attack on Hasina and killing of Kibria.

"Two cases (Kibra and August 21 grande attack) are subjudice matter and now before the judiciary authorities, we want to let the judicial process run its course. We want to make sure suspect and victim were given due process whatever legal process has been instituted," said Fowzia Koofi, President of IPU Committee on the Rights of Parliamentarians, told journalists at a media briefing at BICC.

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She also said Committee on the Human Rights of Parliamentarians in its recommendations forwarded to governing council asked for timely and fair trials of the both cases.

"Families of the victims and perpetuators should be informed the progress of the cases time to time."

Twenty-four leaders and workers of party and its associate bodies including the then Mohila AL president Ivy Rahman, wife of late president Zillur Rahman, were killed and over 500 others suffered splinter injuries in the attack. Many of the injured became crippled for life.

Though Hasina narrowly escaped the attack, she lost her hearing ability due to the impact of the repeated grenade blasts near the truck-dais of the rally. Shiekh Hasina was the then opposition leader.

A former Awami League leader, Kibria was killed on January 27, 2005 in a grenade attack in his constituency of Habiganj. Kibria was lawmaker that time.

The Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU) called for fact-finding missions by the Committee on the Human Rights of Parliamentarians to the Phillipines, Turkey and Venezuela and several other countries on the closing day of the 136th IPU Assembly.