The Chair of the European Parliament Delegation to South Asia has urged the Sheikh Hasina government to review the death sentence of war criminal Ali Ahsan Mohammad Mujahid that was confirmed by Bangladesh’s highest constitutional court.
Jean Lambert also expressed her concern at the Supreme Court’s Appellate Division decision in a letter written to Bangladesh Ambassador to EU Ismat Jahan on Oct 23, weeks before the expected date of settling Mujahid’s review petition on Nov 3.
bdnews24.com’s diplomatic correspondent saw the letter that foreign ministry officials said was “not an issue of concern”.
“She wrote the letter in her personal capacity. It’s not the decision of the European Parliament,” a senior official at the foreign ministry told bdnews24.com, but he cannot be named as he was not authorised to brief the media.
A member of the Green Party of England and Wales, Lambert has been a Member of the European Parliament for the London Region since 1999.
In her letter, she said she was writing “in my capacity as Chair of the European Parliament Delegation for relations with the countries of South Asia to express concern at the upheld death sentence”.
Lambert said she was highlighting this particular case “due to reports that full due process may not have been followed and could be contrary to a number of international human rights and judicial standards”.
The subject of the letter read: “Urgent: Imminent Execution of Mr. Ali Ahsan Mohammad Mujahid”.
Mujahid is the secretary general of the Jamaat-e-Islami that sided with Pakistan in 1971 War of Independence.
The war crimes tribunal sentenced him to death for his crimes against the humanity during the war.
The EU Parliament earlier in a resolution endorsed the tribunal and also asked opposition political party BNP to remove Jamaat from its alliance.
The EU, however, is always against the death penalty in any circumstances in any part of the world.
But Bangladesh law allows death sentence as maximum punishment.
Source: bdnews24