The International Crimes Tribunal-1 yesterday disposed of the contempt of court proceedings against two editors of The Economist as it has found no proof of their involvement in hacking alleged Skype conversation between a judge and an expatriate Bangladeshi legal expert.
On December 6 last year, the tribunal issued a show-cause notice against Rob Gifford and Adam Roberts, chief editor and the South Asia bureau chief of the weekly, asking them to explain why contempt of court proceedings should not be taken against them for “interfering in ongoing trial, violating privacy of a judge and having link in the hacking”.
The show-cause notice was issued after a person, claiming to have been from the London-based weekly, had called Justice Md Nizamul Huq, former chairman of the ICT-1, and said The Economist had possessed hacked Skype conversation between him and Ahmed Ziauddin, a legal expert on international crimes.
Terming it a serious breach of privacy, the show-cause notice said the persons involved in disturbing the processes of the tribunal “have links to the hacking”.
The tribunal yesterday made five observations on the background upon which the notice was issued.
According to its observations, no journalists will have the rights to communicate with any judge directly or over the phone for gathering information.
The journalists will have to collect information about a case pending with the tribunal from its lawyers concerned.
If journalists want administrative information, they will have to contact the registrar as he is the designated person for it.
Any information obtained 'illegally' should not be published, the court said.
The tribunal also asked journalists to refrain from "scandalising" the court.
Issuing the show-cause notice on December 6, the tribunal said the International Crimes (Tribunals) Act, 1973 was a new law. To understand the law, it was necessary for the judges to look into the process and orders of different tribunals and consult experts, the court added.
Justice Nizamul Huq said he had the privilege of consulting expatriate Bangladeshis, including Dr Ahmed.
On December 5, a person introducing himself from The Economist made a call to Justice Nizamul Huq claiming to have possessed the conversation between him and Dr Ziauddin.
The caller also asked the chairman a number of questions on the conversation, which was not allowed under the law, the show-cause notice said.
The Skype controversy, which led to the resignation of Justice Nizamul Huq on December 11, began after Bangla national daily Amar Desh published a “transcript of Skype conversation”.