It is regrettable that the police have used water-cannons and fired rubber bullets and tear shells on Gonojagoron Moncho activists rallying in protest at the Appellate Division’s verdict in the Sayedee case.
Strong emotions by people seeking a tougher sentence are perfectly understandable in this case.
Citizens have a right to express their opinions and to demonstrate to express their views on judicial verdicts. That is their constitutional right.
However, there is no place for disruptive activities or protests which breach the peace.
The judiciary has to take congizance of the law and the facts before them, not the opinions of members of the public. Cases have to be tried in courts of law and not on the streets.
While supporters of Gonojagoron Moncho do not need to be happy with the verdict, they should respect it, if for no other reason than that they do not want to give the defendant an excuse to claim that justice was influenced by a mob.
That would be ruinous to the credibility of the process, which needs to be upheld in order to meet the invaluable aim of ending impunity for war crimes.
Certainly there is no justification for violence in protest at this verdict. We find it concerning then that Jamaat-e-Islami has called for hartals in protest at the entire process, not least because of their track record in inciting violence.
For Jamaat to call new protests seems irrational and unwarranted. The courts have duly undergone an open judicial process. It should be respected and not challenged on the streets.
