The Governing Council of the Inter-Parliamentary Union,

Referring to the case of Sheikh Hasina, a former member of the National Parliament of Bangladesh, 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 the source on 12 April 2007,

Recalling that Sheikh Hasina, then Leader of the Opposition was the target of a grenade attack during a rally of the Awami League held on 21 August 2004 in the centre of Dhaka; the attack left her with a permanent hearing disability, took the lives of 25 people and left hundreds maimed for life; seven other members of parliament suffered shrapnel injuries; the attack involved the explosion of a dozen Arges grenades and happened in broad daylight in the presence of over 300 policemen and scores of government intelligence and surveillance agents; 20 persons were arrested in connection with this case, but 17 have been released on bail as the Criminal Investigation Department found them to have no links with the attacks; the remaining three remain in custody and made confessional statements that some 18 people were involved in the grenade attack and gave the names of 11 of them, whom the police are said to be trying to track down,

Considering that, in a meeting it held on 22 August 2004, the Bangladesh Supreme Court Bar Association established an inquiry committee into the attack which concluded that "given the scale and magnitude of the attack, its execution and the special get-away by the assailants, it is clear beyond doubt that it was a pre-planned attack, carried out on the basis of a carefully prepared plan, targeting the Leader of the Opposition and other leaders and persons attending the rally",

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 in March 2007 the second caretaker government registered the case with the Home Ministry's monitoring cell for proper investigation and quick disposal, and that the case was indeed given due priority by the monitoring cell,

1. Notes with satisfaction the long overdue prioritization of this case by the competent authorities, and would appreciate being kept informed of the progress made in the investigation;

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

3. Requests the Secretary General to inform the Chief Adviser of the Caretaker Government and the Speaker accordingly;

4. 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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