<div><b><span style="font-size: 1rem;">The Bangladesh Judicial Service Association on Tuesday expressed deep concern about the resolution of the European Parliament on the human rights situation in Bangladesh, saying that its attempt is to interfere with the judicial proceedings of an independent country.</span><br></b></div><div><br></div><div>“We are deeply concerned about the Resolution as it is an attempt to interfere with the judicial proceedings of an independent sovereign country, which is both unwanted and unwarranted,” according to a media statement of the association.</div><div><br></div><div>The statement was signed by the organisation’s President AHM Habibur Rahman Bhuiya and Secretary General, Md. Majibur Rahman.</div><div><br></div><div>The statement involves a recent verdict jailing two officials of Bangladeshi human rights body Odhikar for two years each in an ICT Act case.</div><div><br></div><div>On September 14, a court in Dhaka sentenced Odhikar Secretary Adilur Rahman Khan, who was a deputy attorney general under the BNP regime in 2001-2006, and its Director ASM Nasiruddin Elan.</div><div><br></div><div>The case was filed for running “a distorted report and doctored images” about the May 5-6 police action in 2013 involving Hefajat-e-Islam rally in Dhaka’s Motijheel area.</div><div><br></div><div>Odhikar's report said that 61 people died in the wee hours of May 6 when the law enforcers flushed thousands of Hefajat activists out of the Shapla Chattar in Motijheel after daylong mayhem. Authorities said 13 people died and challenged Odhikar’s report, asking it to prove it. Odhikar’s report had tarnished the image of the country across the world, according to the prosecution proceedings.</div><div><br></div><div>On Tuesday (September 19), Bangladesh Judicial Service Association said in its statement that the tribunal conducted the case of Odhikar and its two officials “impartially and diligently, relying solely on factual evidence and adhering strictly to the applicable laws.”</div><div><br></div><div>The verdict was rendered without any external influences or inducements, whether direct or indirect, from any source or for any other reason, it said.</div><div><br></div><div>The release also stated that the organisation views the European Parliament’s resolution as a ‘blatant interference’ in the country’s judicial functions and condemns it unequivocally.</div><div><br></div><div>“We find it paradoxical that, on the one hand, the judiciary is criticised for its substantial backlog of cases, and yet, on the other hand, it is vilified for resolving a long-standing case through the due judicial process,” it said.</div><div><br></div><div>“We do hereby regret and reject the sweeping generalizations and abrupt condemnation of the Judiciary of Bangladesh by the European Parliament,” it said.</div><div><br></div><div>The judicial association, however, said that the Digital Security Act, 2018 (DSA) has been replaced by the Cyber Security Act, 2023 following consultations with relevant stakeholders, including international organizations and development partners.</div><div><br></div><div>The association said the judiciary in Bangladesh is independent.</div><div><br></div><div>“It is imperative to emphasise that the Judiciary of Bangladesh operates with absolute independence, having been separated from the Executive since November 1, 2007. There is no intermingling of judicial proceedings and executive functions,” it added.</div><div><br></div><div>The European Parliament moved a joint resolution expressing concerns over the deterioration of the human rights situation in Bangladesh and called for adherence to international standards to ensure civil and political rights on 14 September.</div><div><br></div><div>The statement voiced deep concern regarding the detention of opposition figures and the deployment of force against demonstrators in Bangladesh. It also urged the government to establish a favourable atmosphere that enables open, equitable, and all-encompassing elections in 2024.RT/JA. - UNB</div><div><br></div><div>bnbd24/fas</div>