London, Nov 26
A group of prominent British lawyers condemned the trial conducted in Bangladesh against Labour MP and former UK Minister Tulip Siddiq, describing it as "contrived and unfair".
The statement comes ahead of the verdict in the graft case involving 17 people, including former Bangladeshi Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, her sister Sheikh Rehana, and niece British MP Tulip Siddiq, which is reportedly set to be delivered on December 1 by a Dhaka court.
In a letter to Bangladesh's High Commissioner in the UK Abida Islam, several leading lawyers, including Robert Buckland KC, who was justice secretary under former UK PM Boris Johnson, and the former Tory attorney general Dominic Grieve, argued that Siddiq was denied basic rights during her trial, such as being informed of the charges against her or having access to legal representation, a leading British newspaper, The Guardian, reported.
"Such a process is artificial and a contrived and unfair way of pursuing a prosecution," the letter stated.
The lawyers expressed their "profound concern" regarding the current criminal proceedings in Bangladesh during the period when the leader of the interim government, chief advisor Muhammad Yunus, "has repeatedly espoused the importance of the rule of law and justice in Bangladesh".
"As she lives in the UK and is a UK national, she is plainly not a fugitive. She is an elected member of parliament, who can be contacted at the House of Commons, and indeed extradited to Bangladesh to face charges if there are proper grounds for seeking her extradition. Not only has Siddiq not been presented with the charges and evidence against her, she has also not been able to obtain legal representation," the letter detailed.
"A lawyer in Bangladesh she appointed to represent her, was forced to stand down, reporting that he had been placed under house arrest, further informing Ms Siddiq that his daughter had been threatened," it added.
According to the lawyers, these developments align with reports of interference and intimidation in Bangladesh's legal system since Yunus came to power.
They added that it is "difficult to see" how such widespread media coverage by those in power, accusing Siddiq of criminal wrongdoing, could be consistent with a "fair and impartial trial free from interference".
"Given all of the circumstances, we have serious concerns that the trial of Ms Siddiq in absentia is unfair, that she does not have a proper opportunity of defending herself, or indeed any opportunity at all, that she is being tried in her absence without justification and that the proceedings fall far short of standards of fairness recognised internationally," the lawyers stated
They further called on the Bangladeshi authorities to "rectify these concerns" to ensure a fair trial.
Expressing gratitude, Siddiq took to her social media platform, stating, "I'm grateful to this cross-party group of distinguished lawyers & legal experts for calling out the fundamental flaws in the Criminal Justice system in Bangladesh -- a system that now seems set to convict me."
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- IANS
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