War crimes accused Chowdhury Mueen-Uddin has said he will not return to Bangladesh to face the International Crimes Tribunal, terming it ‘a farce’.
Published : 20 Jul 2013, 08:51 PM
In an interview to Al-Jazeera’s Jonah Hull for the program ‘Talk to Al-jazeera’, he said the tribunal was a ‘joke’.
When asked if he will face the tribunal to clear his name of the charges implicating him in the murder of 18 people, Mueen-Uddin said, “Well no, simply because it’s a joke and it’s a sham trial they are conducting.”
Citing reasons, he said that the international community had been critical of the trial process and an investigation by The Economist identified instances of corruption, the collision between the prosecution, investigation team and outside activists, besides ministerial interference.
“It’s a kangaroo court,” he said.
He also complained that the ICT had not furnished him with the official charges, an omission he found surprising, as he was not in hiding, and had always led an ‘open and transparent life’ in the UK, where is a ‘very respected member of the community’.
Mueen-Uddin strongly denied any involvement with war crimes, saying his political concerns were for the sovereignty of Pakistan. But, he said, he had resigned from his post, as a member of the Islami Chhatra Shangha, the student front of the Jamaat-e-Islami, because he was against the military crackdown of Mar 25, 1971.
“I stood for the unity of Pakistan. Supporting a nation’s sovereignty is one thing and getting involved in criminal activities is another. I was not involved in any criminal activities in 1971 or after. In fact, I was not a supporter of the military action.”
Mueen-Uddin, charged with killing intellectuals, said he was never a member of notorious militia, Al-Badr.