Dhaka lawyers to help rights victims

Frontline lawyers in Bangladesh have formed a committee to extend legal aid to the victims of persecution, in a move that follows recent incidents of alleged human rights violations.

The 151-member committee, named the 'Supreme Court Legal Aid Committee', has barrister Shawkat Ali Khan as its chairman and barrister Amir-ul Islam, barrister Shafiq Ahmed and Supreme Court Bar Association President Abdul Baset Majumdar as co-chairmen.

Although the lawyers are known to be pro-Awami League and the committee formed after party chief Sheikh Hasina directed such a move, a member of the committee said the move was not linked directly with the main opposition's initiative to provide legal assistance to its members.

Awami League praesidium member Abdul Jalil hoped that party leaders and workers being subjected to harassment and repression would benefit now. Barrister Amir-ul Islam explained that victims of persecution and violence will get free legal consultation from this committee.

Barrister Islam said: "Our committee will render legal support to all persecuted political workers irrespective of party affiliation. Since July, incidents of persecution and violence have escalated and we have woken up to the cause."

About the longevity of the committee, Barrister Islam said: "We are contemplating giving it permanent shape and will not limit its scope of service to any definite duration."

Sources in the lawyers' community said public requests for legal assistance against persecution have been piling up. Many letters complain of police refusal to take up cases, and also mention the lengthy process of investigation, sources added.

On December 26, the Awami League alleged that 296 leaders and workers of the main opposition party had been murdered and 8,303 others injured in 642 incidents of terrorist attacks since it handed over power to the caretaker government on July 15.