EU wants Molla hanging halted

The European Union noted the concerns the two independent UN human rights experts expressed on Monday and called upon Bangladesh authority on Tuesday to address those before executing war criminal Abdul Quader Molla.

In a statement hours before the execution of war criminals Abdul Quader Molla, the European Union Delegation to Bangladesh reiterated its opposition to death penalty.

The UN independent experts had earlier urged the government to halt Molla's execution, having learnt that the Supreme Court verdict could not be appealed.

Bangladesh's second war crimes tribunal had on Feb 5 sentenced Molla to life imprisonment for killings, rapes and looting during the War of Independence in 1971.

Perceived to be too lenient a penalty, the prosecution moved the Supreme Court against the verdict. The highest court, on Oct 17, revised the life term to a death sentence.

“The right of appeal is of particular importance in death penalty cases,” one of the UN independent experts Gabriela Knaul said in a news release.

“Anyone convicted of a crime has the right to have his or her conviction and sentence reviewed by a higher tribunal, as laid down in the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights to which Bangladesh is a party,” she said.

Taking note of the statement, the EU delegation said: “The European Union calls for these concerns to be addressed before taking the process further.”

It said the EU opposed “to the use of capital punishment in all cases and under all circumstances, and has consistently called for its universal abolition”.

The EU followed the judicial proceedings in Bangladesh’s international crimes tribunal trying alleged war criminals.

“From the start of the trials, the European Union has repeatedly stressed its concern about the possible application of the death penalty under the International Crimes (Tribunals) Act,” it said in a media release.

It said the EU reiterated its position regarding the recent death penalties issued by the International Crimes Tribunal and the Supreme Court as well as the 152 death sentences that were recently handed down in the trial following the BDR mutiny in 2009.

The European Union calls on the Bangladeshi authorities “to commute these sentences and to introduce a moratorium on executions as a first step towards definitive abolition of capital punishment”.

Dhaka Central Jail authority earlier said Molla’s death sentence would be carried out at 12:01am on Wednesday.