BANGLADESH. HIGH NUMBER OF "SPEEDY" COURT DEATH SENTENCES RAISES CONCERN IN BANGLADESH

Judge Shahed Nooruddin has sentenced 114 people to death in under three years, according to official figures. The judge presides over one of nine fast-track courts introduced in November 2002 as part of a government initiative to crack down on crime, a major political issue here.
“The fast-track courts, known as "speedy crime tribunals", were set up by Prime Minister Khaleda Zia, who came to power in 2001 on a platform of maintaining law and order. But critics are concerned at the "unprecedented" number of people being sentenced to death and the speed at which the sentences are being handed down, which they say only further increases the risk of miscarriages of justice in a country where police and court officials are often corrupt.
"We have several times raised our concerns about the speedy crime tribunals because we are not sure whether the defendants are getting justice or not," said Sultana Kamal, president of Ain-O-Salishi Kendro (Law and Justice Centre).
"These death sentences have been awarded too easily. They are being handed down by ignoring the basics of jurisprudence," added Mizanur Rahman, a professor of law of Dhaka University.