Six people, including ex-army officers, are currently facing trial in Bangladesh on charges of involvement in the killing of ex-president Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, and most of his family, on 15 August 1975 during a coup. Fourteen others are being tried in absentia. While welcoming the investigation into past human rights abuses, Amnesty International is calling on the government to ensure that their trials conform to internationally established fair trial standards, and that the accused do not face the death penalty. Amnesty International is also calling for an impartial and independent inquiry into allegations by the accused that they were subjected to torture and ill-treatment.
