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The European Union says it has been following the judicial proceedings of the Bangabandhu murder case, BDR mutiny cases and preparations for trying 1971 war crimes, but it opposes death penalties in any of these cases of "politically motivated murders".
The statement issued Saturday by Catherine Ashton, high representative of the EU for foreign affairs and security policy, comes against the backdrop of preparations for hanging the convicted killers of the country's founding father Sheikh Mujibur Rahman.
The incumbent government has also taken steps for long-awaited trial this year of war criminals who collaborated with the occupying Pakistan army during the nine-month liberation war in 1971 in which an estimated three million people, mostly civilians, were killed.
The government has also begun trial of border guards in connection with the BDR mutiny last year in which 57 army officers deputed to the border force were brutally killed.
"The European Union is paying close attention to the various judicial proceedings in Bangladesh this year concerning politically-motivated murders," EU ambassador to Bangladesh Stefan Frowein said in the statement.
"This statement applies to trials for all such crimes, notably: the 1975 murders of Sheikh Mujibur Rahman and his family members and others, murders committed during the 2009 Bangladesh Rifles mutiny, and potentially also war crimes committed during the country's struggle for independence," he said on behalf of Ashton.
The EU justified the statement saying it was "opposed on principle to the death penalty in all cases and in all circumstances".
"The abolition of the death penalty contributes to the enhancement of human dignity and the progressive development of human rights, and the EU reaffirms its commitment to work for the universal abolition of the death penalty", it said.
The statement also said, "We welcome the respect being shown in Bangladesh for the principle that judicial proceedings be free from political interference.
"We also strongly support the government's zero tolerance with regard to extra-judicial killings."
Law minister Shafique Ahmed told bdnews24.com Saturday that he was unaware of the EU statement on Bangladesh's internal affairs. He declined to comment on it.
However, Suranjit Sengupta, chairman of the parliamentary standing committee on law, told bdnews24.com: "They have expressed their ideas."
"As far as we are concerned, we are guided by our principles, law and administration of justice," he said.
"Bangladesh will follow its own legal process and its ethical position."
As far as the EU's stance, he said, "Our cases are totally different, and these motivated brutal political murders demand high profile trials in line with our existing laws."
Amnesty International also issued a statement soon after the Supreme Court judgement on November 19 last year that upheld death sentences for five of 12 former army officers convicted of Sheikh Mujib's murder. The international rights watchdog called for commuting the death sentences.
Meanwhile, the Supreme Court is due to hear review petitions of the five condemned men on Sunday (Jan 24).
Source: bdnews24.com
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