A safe haven for war criminals

Abdul Matin

GOOD news for war criminals! There is no reason for them to worry any more. They can freely violate human rights and find a safe haven for them. According to BBC, 100 suspected war criminals applied for UK immigration. Some of them have been living there for years. They come from Afghanistan, Iran, Iraq, Rwanda, Serbia and Sri Lanka.

The BBC report did not mention that some criminals had already acquired British citizenship and had been living in the UK under the protection of British law. One of them is Chowdhury Mueenuddin against whom there are charges in the International Crimes Tribunal (ICT) for involvement in the killing of intellectuals in Bangladesh in 1971.

Although the Home Office does not intend to make the UK a “refuge for war criminals”, the British courts usually block deportation on human rights ground. Should the violators of human rights be granted the privileges of human rights? The answer should be NO and there should be an international consensus on this issue. We handed over a murder suspect, Mohiuddin Bablu, to the British authorities in 2011. Why shouldn’t they hand over Mueenuddin now to face charges of crimes against humanity in Bangladesh?

We also have convicted criminals in the USA, Canada, Pakistan and India. The legal procedures for deportation in the USA are too complicated and lengthy. Canada does not deport criminals to countries practicing death penalty. Pakistan is unlikely to deport criminals who once worked for their army. It is, however, reported that Bangladesh and India are likely to exchange suspected and convicted criminals soon.

The statistics of suspected criminals in the UK are astounding. Between 2005 and 2012, 700 suspected criminals were identified by UK immigration. From January 2012 to March 2013, 800 cases were detected where individuals were suspected of war crimes and crimes against humanity. With unabated violence persisting in Iraq, Afghanistan, Syria and other countries, the number of criminals seeking asylum in the UK is likely to multiply in the near future.

I wonder how long the British will feel secure with thousands of suspected criminals roaming about freely in their country. Will the safe haven remain safe forever?

Daily Star