Many ordinary people, businessmen accused in July cases for political reasons: Sara Hossain
Sara Hossain alleged that even businesspeople or individuals with personal disputes are being targeted through the July-August cases.
Human rights activist Barrister Sara Hossain has alleged that many ordinary people and businessmen are being accused in cases filed over the July-August uprising incidents for political reasons.
"If this continues, the trial of July-August cases will face challenges," she said at a discussion in Dhaka today (30 August).
The discussion, titled 'Authoritarianism, Atrocity, and Accountability: Human Rights Abuses and Transitional Justice in Bangladesh', was part of the Bengal Delta Conference 2025, organised by the Dhaka Institute of Research and Analytics (Daira) at a city hotel.
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Because of limited changes in our institutions, we see courts too nervous to interfere and repeating the patterns of the past, repeatedly denying bail to people.
Sara Hossain alleged that even businesspeople or individuals with personal disputes are being targeted through the July-August cases.
"Because of limited changes in our institutions, we see courts too nervous to interfere and repeating the patterns of the past, repeatedly denying bail to people," she added.
The human rights activist also noted that while criminal cases are being filed, no cases for compensation or reparations have been initiated.
She also questioned the credibility of the judicial process.
"How do we prevent false narratives from taking hold? Can we do that through swift trials, when we have no history of swift and fair trials? How do we ensure violations don't overwhelm the process of justice that we badly need for July?"
Referring to accountability after the Liberation War, she said reparations often came first, while accountability processes were delayed.
"We don't know the status of investigations before the ordinary criminal courts. They're all pending. Some trials have started at the ICT [International Crimes Tribunal]. In terms of reparations, the picture is somewhat more positive," she observed.
Sara Hossain also suggested Bangladesh could pursue legal action against those accused of July-August incidents who are now abroad.
It would be very helpful to hear from the ICT chief prosecutor about whether there are still options before the International Criminal Court or before third states, she said.
"Many of the perpetrators are now outside Bangladesh and most of those countries recognise universal jurisdiction for gross human rights violations, meaning it is possible to prosecute them there. I don't know whether we are exploring those options" she said.
She also pointed out that UN treaty bodies and other international forums provide opportunities for justice, stressing the need to look at Bangladesh's current legal framework to determine whether it enables accountability and what obstacles stand in the way.
On the existing laws, Sara Hossain noted that while the ICT Act has undergone amendments, other key legislations such as the Penal Code and the Evidence Act have not seen similar reforms.
