Amnesty International (AI) expressed concern that the...

Amnesty International (AI) expressed concern that the four persons charged with various crimes relating to the attack on the Parliament House complex on December 13, 2001 may not receive a fair trial.In a letter to the Union Law Minister, Jana Krishnamurthi, from its International Secretariat in London, the AI said all the four accused - Mohammad Azfal, Shaukat Hussain and his wife Najot Sandhu and Abdul Rehman Geelani - had a right to fair trial under international human rights law and the Constitution of India."Pre-trial proceedings appear to have been flawed and the scheduling of hearings of the trial, that commenced on July 8, indicates that the speed at which the trial is to be conducted may violate the defendants, right to present a full defence. Moreover, the special legislation, POTA, under which the accused are to be tried is flawed and is likely to facilitate an unfair trial," the organisation said.It had expressed particular concern that the accused could be sentenced to death if found guilty of the crimes with which they are charged. The organisation opposed death penalty in all cases as a violation of the right to life.