British lawyer Graham L Hall has applied to the Bangladesh Bar Council for permission to represent Salman F Rahman, the then private industry and investment adviser to deposed Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, as a foreign counsel at the International Crimes Tribunal (ICT).
The application letter, sent on 14 August, was submitted to the council on 24 August. In the letter addressed to the Bar Council Secretary, Hall requested permission to appear before the tribunal as a foreign lawyer alongside local defence counsel on behalf of the accused in a case concerning crimes against humanity.
Defence lawyer Mansurul Hoque Chowdhury confirmed the submission of the application.
In his letter, Hall wrote, “I request the kind consideration of the Bangladesh Bar Council to permit me to appear as a foreign lawyer alongside local lawyers of Bangladesh on behalf of Salman F Rahman in the International Crimes Tribunal constituted under the International Crimes (Tribunals) Act, 1973.”
For the legal basis of his application, Hall cited Section 11(8) of the International Crimes (Tribunals) Act, 1973.
However, the Bar Council has not yet made any decision on the matter. Bar Council Secretary Mohammad Kamal Hossain Sikder said, “The letter has not yet reached me through the relevant section. Once I receive the letter, I will be able to comment on the matter in detail”.
Salman F Rahman is currently facing trial at the ICT over allegations of crimes against humanity committed during the July 2024 mass uprising.
The court framed charges against him on 12 January, in a case where former Law Minister Anisul Huq is also listed as an accused. The prosecution claims that the accused were involved in planned and systematic violence to suppress the July mass uprising.
