United News of Bangladesh

Police Inspector General Ali Hossain Fakir on Friday said that all cases of deaths, including those involving police personnel before and after August 5, will be prosecuted according to the law, describing it as an ongoing process. Speaking at a press briefing at the Rajshahi Metropolitan Police (RMP) headquarters, he said, “Many, including police officers, were killed during the August 5 incidents. Every case will be investigated, and the law will take its course.” Highlighting the role of law enforcement in maintaining order, the IGP said the police have already contributed to delivering one of the best elections in the country’s history. He urged citizens, especially young people, to follow the law and avoid obstructing roads unnecessarily, warning that such actions ultimately harm the nation. Addressing socio-economic issues, he noted the high number of educated unemployed youth and pressures on the banking sector due to money laundering. These factors, he said, have led some young people to engage in crimes like drug abuse and snatching. Reaffirming the police’s “zero-tolerance” policy against drugs, he emphasized that strict measures will continue. Regarding fuel shortages and black-market trading, he said that hoarding small quantities for resale at higher prices yields limited profit, stressing the importance of ethical practices. He also mentioned that the government has received a proposal to transform all divisional cities, including Dhaka, into “Smart and Safe Cities,” with processes ongoing. When asked about the arrest of Awami League leaders in other cases despite bail, the IGP declined to comment, citing ongoing investigations. Earlier, the IGP held a discussion with divisional officials at the RMP headquarters before briefing the media. Officers from the Police Headquarters, Rajshahi Range, and Rajshahi Metropolitan Police were present.

A military court in Congo has condemned about 50 people to death nearly five years after the murders of United Nations investigators Michael Sharp and Zaida Catalan in central Congo’s Kasai region. The President of the Kasai Occidental Military Court, Brig. Gen. Jean-Paulin Ntshayokolo said Saturday that of the 54 defendants, one officer is sentenced to 10 years for violating orders and two others were acquitted. Those sentenced to death will serve out life sentences, as Congo has observed a moratorium on the death penalty since 2003. Sharp of the United States and Catalan of Sweden were assassinated on March 12, 2017 in the Kasai Central region while on a field visit with representatives of Kamwina Nsapu, a militia active in Kasai whose customary chief Jean-Pierre Mponde was killed by Congolese army troops in August 2016. Sharp, the panel’s coordinator and expert on armed groups, and Catalan, a humanitarian expert, embarked on the field visit from Kananga, the provincial capital of Kasai Central, toward the locality of Bunkonde. The two U.N. experts were investigating the violence in Kasai on behalf of the U.N. Security Council. Their bodies were then found in a shallow grave two weeks later. READ: After suicide bombing, Congo officials fear more attacks The Congolese government obtained a cellphone video showing them being killed and blame members of the Kamwina Nsapu militia. Col. Jean de Dieu Mambweni was sentenced to 10 years Saturday of failing to assist a person in danger. No other military leaders were sentenced. The military court, however, acquitted journalist Trudon Raphaël Kapuku and police officer Honoré Tshimbamba. Both were arrested separately in 2018 and have spent 4 years in prison. Thomas Fessy, Human Rights Watch’s senior researcher on Congo, said that despite the verdicts, there are still more questions than answers nearly five years after these murders. “The investigation and ultimately this trial have failed to uncover the full truth about what happened. Congolese authorities, with U.N. support, should now investigate the critical role that senior officials may have played in the murders,” he said via Twitter. Sweden’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, Ann Linde, also said investigations must continue. “Crucial that investigation concerning others involved continues to further uncover truth and bring justice. We encourage authorities to fully cooperate with the U.N. mechanism,” she said via Twitter.