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Detaining anyone secretly beyond 24 hours after arrest without providing legal assistance will be considered an enforced disappearance, International Crimes Tribunal Chief Prosecutor Md Aminul Islam said on Monday.
He made the remarks while responding to questions from journalists at his office about the passage of the Enforced Disappearance Prevention and Redress Act and the National Human Rights Commission Act by Parliament.
Parliament passed the two laws on September 6. As cases of enforced disappearance are currently being tried by the International Crimes Tribunal, the chief prosecutor formally briefed reporters on the matter on Monday.
Describing the Enforced Disappearance Prevention and Redress Act as a milestone, Aminul Islam said that from now on, secretly holding anyone beyond 24 hours after arrest without legal assistance would constitute an enforced disappearance.
He said reports of enforced disappearances would be scrutinised and decisions would be made on whether the cases should be tried by the tribunal or dealt with separately. He also said there would be no conflict between the new law and the tribunal’s existing legislation.
Meanwhile, the Appellate Division was expected to issue an order on Monday on whether condemned prisoner Abul Kalam Azad could appeal, but the Supreme Court did not issue the order.
On the issue, the chief prosecutor said no person convicted of crimes against humanity could file an appeal after 30 days, whether it was Abul Kalam Azad or Sheikh Hasina.
Meanwhile, the tribunal administration has issued show-cause notices to three Special Branch (SB) members over an incident involving cake-cutting inside the tribunal lock-up.
Commenting on the incident, Aminul Islam said security measures would be tightened further in the interest of justice.
