Referring to the case of Mr. Shah Ams Kibria, a member of the National Parliament of Bangladesh killed in a grenade attack in January 2005, as outlined in the report of the Committee on the Human Rights of Parliamentarians (CL/180/12(b)-R.1), and to the resolution adopted at its 179th session (October 2006),

Taking account of the meeting the Committee's Chairman had with the Speaker of the Parliament of Bangladesh during the 116th IPU Assembly, and taking into account the information provided by Mr. Kibria's family on 13 March 2007,

Recalling the following: when the investigation into the grenade attack of 27 January 2006, which had led to the arrest of eight suspects, was closed in April 2005, the lawyer for Mr. Kibria's family submitted an application for further investigation, as the family considered the investigation to have been altogether incomplete; the application was dismissed, as were appeals against that decision; on 14 May 2006, the Dhaka High Court Division of the Supreme Court of Bangladesh issued a ruling in which it called "upon the State to show cause as to why the rejection of the application for further investigation should not be set aside" and, pending disposal of the ruling, stayed all further proceedings; the State lodged an appeal against the ruling; on 26 January 2006, the Dhaka High Court Division of the Supreme Court of Bangladesh directed the lower court to allow four of the suspects (Shahed Ali, Joynal Abedin Momen, Zamri Ali and Tajul Islam) "to file application before the trial court for retraction of their confessions",

Recalling further that, when the previous Government's term of office expired on 27 October 2006, a caretaker government was put in place and elections called for 22 January 2007, and that, following strong protests against the way in which they had been prepared, the elections were postponed and a new caretaker government put in place which has embarked on a process of fighting corruption at all levels, leading to the arrest of a number of former senior government officials,

Considering that on 7 March 2007 the judge in charge of the case decided to reopen the investigation owing to new leads that have emerged,

1. Notes with satisfaction the reopening of the investigation in this case, and would appreciate being kept informed of the progress made;

2. Trusts that a full, effective and thorough inquiry will now be carried out in order to bring to justice as soon as possible both the perpetrators and the instigators of this crime;

3. Maintains its decision to send an observer to the trial to take place upon completion of the investigation;

4. Requests the Secretary General to inform the Chief Adviser of the Caretaker Government, the Speaker and Mr. Kibria's family accordingly;

5. Requests the Committee to continue examining this case and report to it at its next session, to be held on the occasion of the 117th Assembly (October 2007).

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* The delegation of Bangladesh expressed its reservation regarding the resolution.

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