ICC Chief Prosecutor Karim Khan to visit BD Nov 25-28; will meet CA

ICC Chief Prosecutor Karim A Khan

Dhaka, Nov 21 - The Ministry of Foreign Affairs on Thursday said the process of finalizing the "Witness Protection Protocol" proposed by the Office of the Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court (ICC) is under process.

Director General of the Public Diplomacy wing at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Toufique Hasan, said opinions of various ministries and relevant departments have been received in this regard.

Briefing the reporters at the MoFA, he said, ICC Chief Prosecutor Karim A Khan will visit Bangladesh on November 25-28.

During this visit, he will meet Chief Adviser Professor Muhammad Yunus and Foreign Secretary Md Jashim Uddin and visit the Rohingya camp in Cox's Bazar.

During the recent UN General Assembly in New York, the ICC Chief Prosecutor met Prof Yunus and shared their "common vision" to strengthen Bangladesh-ICC cooperation and ensure accountability for crimes committed against the Rohingya.

Their discussions included the Rohingya genocide and ways and means to file a crime against humanity case against the perpetrators of the July-August massacre, according to chief adviser's Office.

Prof Yunus also asked him about the procedure to file a case of crimes against humanity at the ICC against the perpetrators of the massacre during the July-August uprising, which left at least 700 people dead and more than 20,000 injured.

Karim Khan said Bangladesh can definitely file a complaint at the Hague-based court, but he said there are rules to be followed for filing a crimes against humanity case at the ICC.

Khan appreciated the chief adviser’s three points regarding the Rohingya crisis.

During the meeting, Karim Khan apprised Prof Yunus of the latest developments on the investigations into the Rohingya deportation launched by the ICC in 2019.-UNB