Ainjibi Forum condemns press statement by Judicial Service Association

Bangladesh Jatiotabadi Ainjibi Forum (BJAF), a platform of pro-BNP lawyers, has deplored the press statement issued by Bangladesh Judicial Service Association (BJSA) on September 17, 2023 protesting European Parliament's condemnation regarding human rights situations in Bangladesh.

Barrister Kayser Kamal, the Secretary General of BJAF, has sent a statement to the press in this regard on Tuesday.

In his statement the BJAF leader said, "Our attention has been drawn to the statement of Bangladesh Judicial Service Association dated September 17, 2023 against the resolution passed by the European Parliament on September 14, 2023. This is unprecedented from the serving judicial officers.

From this statement it is clearly shows that the judiciary has been fully politicised by the current regime. The judgment and order of conviction & sentences of Odhikar Secretary Advocate Adilur Rahman Khan & its Director Nasir Uddin Elan is clearly a dictated one at the behest of the Executive, the head being Sheikh Hasina herself."

Mr Kayser Kamal said, " We have been fighting for the true independence of judiciary & to keep it aloof from excutive influences for long. We have been, in recent days, organising different programs across the country to rebuild people's confidence on judiciary but September 17, 2023 statement is slur on the judiciary. They have lost their independence and no proper delivery of justice can be expected from them."

He further said, "Recently, we have seen a handful of Supreme court judges to declare themselves to be 'oath-bound politicians' and the statement of 17 September, 2023 by the judges of lower judiciary is continuation of that declaration.

We deplore this type of statement from the judicial officers and would ask the authorities concerned to take steps against them so that the image of judiciary is not eroded further."

Bangladesh Judicial Service Association, a platform of the lower court judges, protested the condemnation of the Judiciary of Bangladesh by the European Parliament regarding the jail sentence of rights body Odhikar's Secretary Adilur Rahman Khan and its Director ASM Nasiruddin Elan.

BJSA President AHM Habibur Rahman Bhuiya and Secretary General Md Majibur Rahman issued a statement in this regard on Sunday.

The BJSA statement said, "We are deeply concerned about the Resolution as it is an attempt to interfere in the judicial proceedings of an independent sovereign country, which is both unwanted and unwarranted."

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