HC issues rule on declaring UN report on July uprising as a 'historic document'

The High Court (HC) on Wednesday issued a rule asking why the United Nations (UN) fact-finding report on the July-August mass uprising should not be declared a "historic document", reports BSS.

A division bench comprising Justice Fahmida Quader and Justice Mubina Asaf passed the order following a writ petition filed by Supreme Court (SC) lawyer Tanvir Ahmed.

In the rule, the court also asked why the document should not be preserved for future generations.

Moving the petition, the lawyer argued that the report should be preserved for three key reasons: to help future generations understand the events, to serve as evidence, and to facilitate future research on the uprising.

Earlier in August, Tanvir Ahmed filed a writ with the apex court seeking the trial of those responsible for what he termed a mass murder during the July-August period. The court then issued a rule in this regard.

In response, the government re-established the International Crimes Tribunal (ICT) through legal amendments. Both the investigation agency and the prosecution have since been active.

The UN report, which has already been made public, stated that around 1,400 people were killed during the uprising. 

It also provided a comprehensive account of the atrocities, describing how they were carried out under political patronage and detailing the role of the judicial system at the time.