Toby Cadman today urged the government to refer the cases of the July-August massacres to the International Criminal Court (ICC) in The Hague, said a CA press wing release. Cadman is the Special Advisor to the International Crimes Tribunal (ICT) Chief Prosecutor and has extensive experience as an international criminal law specialist. He has worked on cases in Bosnia, Kosovo, Rwanda, Yemen, Syria, and Ukraine.  He made the suggestion when he called on Chief Adviser Professor Muhammad Yunus at the state guest house Jamuna. According to the press release, the issue of how Dhaka would involve the International Criminal Court in The Hague was also brought up and discussed during this meeting. The discussions delved into the potential for international cooperation and the roles and responsibilities of the court in Bangladesh's quest for justice. The meeting began with a detailed discussion on the progress and challenges faced by the International Crimes Tribunal. The tribunal has the task of addressing the atrocities committed during the previous regime of Sheikh Hasina, especially during the student-led uprising in July-August 2024. In the meeting between Cadman and Yunus, a number of topics were discussed concerning the applicable legal framework and the need to break from the past. Cadman, who is also the head of G37 Chambers, suggested amendments to the ICT legal and regulatory framework, including changing the name of the tribunal "to demonstrate a clear departure from the previous autocratic regime." According to the press release, it was noted in the meeting that due to certain absconding accused being shielded by foreign states, cooperation with the International Criminal Court under the principles of complementarity is required, and the two institutions should work closely together to ensure that the perpetrators are held fully accountable. The issue of the death penalty and the incorporation of procedural rules of evidence to ensure the highest standards of fair trial and due process were also discussed during the meeting. Professor Yunus expressed appreciation for the work of the ICT Prosecution team, saying they must uphold the highest international standards to ensure a fair trial and justice. The Chief Adviser also said Bangladesh would soon decide whether it would refer the July atrocities to the Hague-based ICC since the UN fact-finding mission last month reported that potential crimes against humanity were committed during the uprising. "It is important that the world should know who ordered the massacres of 1,400 students, protesters, and workers during the July uprising and who were the main perpetrators. The UN fact-finding mission has done a splendid job by unmasking the real face of the (Sheikh Hasina) regime. Now we must hold the culprits to account and serve justice," he said. The issue of providing full resources to the tribunal and the prosecution was discussed to ensure that witnesses are protected, the accused receive all fundamental rights necessary for fair trials, and that the public has full and transparent access to the process. Another major point of discussion was the seizure of stolen assets by the previous regime, and the legal and procedural measures needed to recover and repatriate these assets. At the end of the meeting, Professor Yunus presented Cadman with a copy of the book "Art of Triumph: Graffiti of Bangladesh's New Dawn."

As Bangladesh presses for its former prime minister, Sheikh Hasina, to be extradited to face charges of human rights abuses, her daughter, the World Health Organization (WHO) regional director for South East Asia (SEARO), is also under scrutiny. Saima Wazed was elected to the WHO position by regional leaders in November 2023 amid allegations that her mother had improperly influenced the election process.  Last August, Hasina fled the country after a revolt against her government following its harsh crackdown on student protests. She is currently in India as is her daughter, who is based at the WHO SEARO office in New Delhi. This week the director of Bangladesh’s Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC), General Akhtar Hossain, confirmed to The Business Standard that his commission’s probe into Hasina would include Wazed’s election.  Hossain told the newspaper that corruption was suspected to be involved in Wazard’s appointment. SEARO has 11 member countries including India and Pakistan, yet only tiny Nepal put up a candidate to contest for the regional director position. In an article published by Health Policy Watch before Wazed’s election by member states, public health specialist Mukesh Kapila noted that her own capability statement “does not reveal the ‘strong technical and public health background and extensive experience in global health’, required by the official criteria for the role”. Neither did she have “the mandatory substantive track record in public health leadership and significant competencies in organisational management”, required by WHO. “But being introduced by her mother at recent high-level summits such as BRICS, ASEAN, G20 and the UN General Assembly to craft deals in exchange for votes may be seen as crossing the fine line between a government’s legitimate lobbying for its candidate and craven nepotism,” Kapila wrote. Wazed is a psychologist with a special interest in autism. Code of conduct The 2024 Executive Board recommended that the code of conduct of all regional directors should be expanded to include provisions on “sexual misconduct and other abusive conduct and a disclosure of interests by candidates”, more stringent reference checks and due diligence review of qualifications and employment history.  It also recommended that nominating member states should “disclose grants or aid funding for candidates” in the two years before their appointment. In response to the news reports that Wazed’s appointment was being investigated, the WHO said: “If there are allegations of wrongdoing by or within a member state in connection with a WHO election campaign, it is appropriate for these to be investigated by the competent national authorities.  We would not comment on such investigations or any consequential legal processes while they are ongoing.” According to Article 52 of the WHO Constitution, regional directors are appointed by the WHO’s Executive Board, “in agreement with the regional committee”. A note from the WHO’s legal counsel flags that, despite a decision by the 2012 World Health Assembly, to implement “a process for the assessment of all candidates’ qualifications”, only the European Region has done so.

Chief Adviser Professor Muhammad Yunus returned home this evening wrapping up his Egypt tour to attend  the 11th D-8 Summit. "A flight of Emirates Airlines carrying the chief adviser and his entourage reached the Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport in Dhaka around 5pm," Chief Adviser's Deputy Press Secretary Abul Kalam Azad Majumder told BSS. On Thursday (Dec 19), Prof Yunus addressed the 11th D-8 summit held at Egypt capital of Cairo. Ahead of the D-8 summit, he visited the New Presidential Palace in Cairo when Egypt President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi welcomed him on his arrival at the palace.  The Chief Adviser also spoke at a special session of the summit on 'the Humanitarian Crisis and Reconstruction Challenges in Gaza and Lebanon'. Prof Yunus held a bilateral meeting with Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif at a hotel on the sidelines of the D-8 summit. Secretary General of the Palestine Liberation Organisation (PLO) Hussein Al Sheikh called on the Bangladesh chief adviser on the sidelines of the summit. The Chief Adviser, meanwhile, delivered a lecture at Al-Azhar University on Thursday night.  On Wednesday (Dec 18), Malaysian Higher Education Minister Dr. Zambry Abdul Kadir met Prof Yunus at the St Regis Hotel in Cairo. Prof Yunus arrived in the Egyptian capital of Cairo at 11 am local time on Wednesday to attend the D-8 Summit. The Chief Adviser left Dhaka for Cairo on Tuesday night.