Visiting European Union officials pressed government officials over the deaths of a number of Bangladeshi paramilitary soldiers, who had been detained in connection with a mutiny at the headquarters of the country’s border guards in February, and said it also the prosecution of Bangladesh’s 1971 crimes in the war with Pakistan to be conducted in a fair and transparent manner. “The EU is strongly concerned at the numerous deaths of Bangladesh Rifles (BDR) (soldiers) in custody,” Czech Deputy Minister for Foreign Affairs Helena Bambasova, who headed the EU delegation on a two-day visit last week told a press conference. The visit was to take stock of Bangladesh’s political situation after it returned to parliamentary democracy in January following a two-year rule by a military-backed government. Bambasova said it was imperative that all such deaths were thoroughly investigated and those responsible punished. Bangladeshi authorities have detained over 3,000 BDR soldiers for their suspected involvement in the 33-hour troop rebellion against their commanders that ended on February 26, leaving at least 75 people dead, including 57 army officers. It has been reported that as many as 20 soldiers died in custody since the government launched an investigation into the mutiny in early March. The EU supports the government’s zero tolerance policy against extra-judicial killings, while emphasising that this requires convincing investigation of alleged killings and the bringing to justice of perpetrators, the Czech deputy minister said, adding that this process must be transparent and carried out according to international standards. She also said that the EU was deeply aware of Bangladesh’s vulnerability to the effects of climate change and welcomed the government’s plans to set up a climate change fund. The EU was to continue its policies and financial support for efforts by Bangladesh to mitigate the impact of climate change and adapt to its effects, Bambasova said. On anti-terrorism efforts, the EU commended Bangladesh for its role to advance a secular governance agenda as a Muslim-majority nation. “Bangladesh has a pivotal role to play as a voice for moderation and a bulwark against extremism in South Asia,” she said.  The EU delegation met with Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina Wazed, Foreign Minister Dipu Moni, Finance Minister Abul Maal Abdul Muhith and Law, Justice and Parliamentary Affairs Minister Shafique Ahmed and former prime minister Khaleda Zia, who is now the leader of the opposition in Bangladesh’s parliament.

The Pakistan Horror
Historians said the 1971 war of independence with Pakistan led to the deaths of some three million unarmed people and that nearly 200,000 women were raped and tens of thousands of homes were torched by Pakistani forces and their local collaborators. “We are saying in the European Union that every war crime should be investigated. At the same time it has to be done properly, carefully and in a transparent way so that every possible suspicion of abusing the situation of the winner or abusing the topic for some revenge can be excluded,” Bambasova told reporters in Dhaka following a meeting with Moni. Bambasova, leading the EU delegation to Bangladesh, said that the delegation discussed the issue of a trial of those accused of war crimes in Bangladesh’s 1971 war of independence. “It is an important but also a sensitive issue,” she said, terming the issue as Bangladesh’s internal affair. Asked whether the EU has plans to provide support to Bangladesh to try the alleged war criminals in a transparent way, the Czech deputy minister said, “We are not supporting. It is your entire issue. You have to solve yours. I have just expressed the position of the EU.”
Bangladesh’s Awami League-led alliance government of Prime Minister Wazed, in line with her 2008 election pledges, has initiated a process to try local collaborators of Pakistani forces who had committed crimes against humanity during the 1971 war. Earlier, the government had said the war crimes trials would be prosecuted under Bangladesh’s International Crimes Tribunals Act of 1973. It had also barred suspected war criminals from leaving the country. In late January, parliament approved a resolution seeking the speedy prosecution of war criminals. An early initiative to prosecute war crimes was called off after the 1975 political changeover following the assassination of Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, the architect of Bangladesh’s independence. The Bangladesh Sector Commander Forum, a group of 1971 war veterans, revealed last year that 11,000 indicted war criminals were released from jails a few months after his killing.

Fair elections
The EU troika went to Dhaka to take stock of Bangladesh’s political, social and economic issues after the landmark December 2008 elections ending two years of rule of a military-backed government. The troika chief said that the EU appreciated Bangladesh for holding the elections in a transparent way. “Your government enjoys a great support winning of parliamentary elections and the way it was done was very democratic and transparent. The EU had many observers in this country,” she said. On alleged violation of human rights by the law enforcing agencies, especially extrajudicial killings, Helen said, “We have touched upon the extrajudicial killings. We have been reassured that there is the commitment of zero tolerance and all those cases have to be properly investigated in a very transparent way.” The EU group also urged Bangladesh and its South Asian neighbours to work for stronger regional integration. “We are encouraging you, that you use benefits of cooperation in all aspects that are of common interest in the region,” Bambasova said. She added that integration of the South Asian region was still “very low” and there has been scope for improved cooperation among the nations. The EU recommended that the countries of the region should try for more cooperation and integration. But it again depends on the governments of countries of the region, she added. “We have been speaking about cooperation of Bangladesh with India, about the relations with Pakistan and Myanmar also and about SAARC (South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation) and the possible cooperation with ASEAN (Association for South East Asian Nations,)” she said after talking to Moni.