GENEVA: UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk on Monday called for calm, and for all to exercise restraint in Bangladesh in response to the developments after a tribunal handed down a death sentence to former Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina.
The UN High Commissioner expressed hope that Bangladesh will move forward with a comprehensive process of truth-telling, reparation and justice as the pathway to national reconciliation and healing. “This should include meaningful and transformative security sector reform, which respects international standards, to ensure that these violations and abuses are never repeated,’’ he said in a statement.
The handing down of verdicts by the International Crimes Tribunal in Dhaka against Sheikh Hasina and the former Home Minister on charges of crimes against humanity is an important moment for victims of the grave violations committed during the suppression of protests last year, the statement said.
UN Human Rights Spokesperson Ravina Shamdasani said in a media statement : ``While we were not privy to the conduct of this trial, we have consistently advocated for all accountability proceedings – especially on charges of international crimes – to unquestionably meet international standards of due process and fair trial. This is particularly vital when, as was the case here, the trials have been conducted in absentia and led to a capital punishment sentence.We also regret the imposition of the death penalty, which we oppose in all circumstances.”