“If someone from the Chittagong Bar stands up for the accused, it will be a betrayal of Alif’s blood,” said the president of the Bar Association.

The leaders of the District Bar Association have said that they will not block any outside lawyer from standing up for the accused in the murder case of lawyer Saiful Islam Alif in Chittagong.

District Bar Association President Advocate Nazim Uddin Chowdhury said these things in response to questions from journalists at a press conference at the lawyers’ auditorium of the Chittagong court on Monday (December 9) afternoon.

He said, “If someone from the association fights for the accused in the Alif murder case, it will be a betrayal of Alif’s blood. Apart from this, we have not received any complaints that any lawyer is not able to come to the court premises for fear of attack or arrest.”

In response to a question on whether justice will be disrupted by the request of the lawyers not to fight in the murder case on behalf of the Bar Association, he said, “I did not say that they cannot bring lawyers from outside to defend them.” However, there is a rule in murder cases. When the court of a murder case is in session, the court itself will appoint a lawyer for the accused. This is called state defense. The person who died is a member of our association, so we think that to pay respect to his blood, we have requested that no one standing on behalf of the accused say that the accused is innocent. However, I did not say that there will be no lawyer.’

Advocate Mohammad Ashraf Hossain Chowdhury Razzak, General Secretary of the District Bar Association, read out a written statement at the press conference. At that time, he raised 11 demands on behalf of the District Bar Association regarding the murder of lawyer Saiful.

Advocate Ashraf Hossain Chowdhury Razzak said, “I strongly demand that the administration concerned arrest all the ISKCON terrorists involved in the murder who have not yet been arrested and quickly settle the trial and give the culprits the maximum peaceful death sentence. I strongly demand that those involved in the vandalism of mosques, lawyers’ chambers, cars and shops be given exemplary peace. ISKCON leader Chinmoy Krishna Das, spokesperson of the Sammilita Sanatani Jagran Jote, should be included as one of the accused in the murder case and other cases. Effective measures should be taken to settle the trial in the speedy trial tribunal by issuing charge sheets for the cases filed in the murder. Legal action should be taken against those involved in the inaction of the law enforcement officers assigned to the security duties in the court area on the day of the incident after investigating and taking legal action.”

The leaders of the Chittagong District Bar Association have demanded the arrest of Shawn, one of the accused in the murder case of ISKCON leader Chinmoy Krishna Das, the spokesperson of the Sammilit Sanatani Jagran Jote, and other cases. At the same time, they have requested that no lawyer stand in the court on behalf of Chinmoy Das.

At a press conference on Monday, the association’s president, Nazim Uddin Chowdhury, said that there is no prohibition on them coming from outside the district to hold hearings.

He said, “No lawyer from the Chittagong District Bar Association has participated in the Alif murder case so far. Although lawyers had filed a defense in one or two other related cases, they later withdrew it.”

After no lawyer appeared at Chinmoy’s bail hearing on December 3, the hearing was rescheduled for January 2. This press conference was held in the meantime.

The day before that hearing, the Sanatani Jagran Jote alleged that cases had been filed against 70 lawyers so that they could not appear in court on Chinmoy’s behalf. Some lawyers were also accused of attacking their chambers.