HRW Demands UN Investigation into Murder of Benazir Bhutto

- British Scotland Yard Should Quit Flawed Bhutto Inquiry in Pakistan
- Independent International Investigation Needed to Conduct Credible
Probe

HRF: http://www.JusticeForum.info

New York, NY, USA (InformPress.com) - The UK's Scotland Yard should
not be part of a flawed Pakistani investigation into the assassination
of former Pakistani Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto, Human Rights Watch
(HRW) said today. The HRW urged Pakistan to seek an independent
international investigation of the murder, such as under United
Nations auspices.

Human Rights Watch said that the Pakistani government has a well-
documented record of failing to conduct impartial investigations of
human rights abuses, including political killings.

On January 4, 2008, the UK's New Scotland Yard's Counter Terrorism
Command dispatched a team of investigators to Pakistan at Islamabad's
request. The Scotland Yard team has a narrow mandate and will not
conduct an independent inquiry. According to the terms of reference
made public on January 11, 2008, the Scotland Yard team will "support"
and "assist" Pakistani authorities in investigating the "precise
cause" of Bhutto's death. The team "will assist and report to"
Pakistan's senior investigators and "the primacy and responsibility
for the investigation remains with the Pakistan authorities."

"Pakistan's investigation into Bhutto's murder lacks independence,
transparency and credibility," said Brad Adams, Asia Director at Human
Rights Watch. "Scotland Yard should never have agreed to only
investigate the cause of death, instead of who was responsible. It
should not tarnish its reputation by lending its imprimatur to this
dubious inquiry."

The Pakistani government's findings are unlikely to gain acceptance in
Pakistan. Many Pakistanis accuse the government and the military's
feared intelligence agencies of complicity in the assassination of
Bhutto on December 27, 2007. [Outlaw tyrant] Pervez Musharraf has
rejected these allegations and blamed militants acting on behalf of
"Al-Qaeda" for the killing.

The Pakistani government's actions in the immediate aftermath of
Bhutto's assassination served to heighten suspicions of a cover-up.
Officials had the assassination site hosed down within hours despite
protests from observers. And the government denied Bhutto had even
been shot until video footage was aired by Pakistani and international
media showing otherwise.

Prior to her death, Bhutto had repeatedly accused elements within
Pakistan's government and the military's intelligence agencies of
plotting to kill her.

Human Rights Watch called upon the United States, the United Kingdom
and other concerned governments to urge Pakistan to accept an
independent international inquiry, such as one led by the United
Nations, to best ensure that those responsible for the killing are
found, no matter where the evidence leads.

"Given Pakistan's dismal record at investigations, the need for an
independent international inquiry to uncover Bhutto's killers is
obvious," said Adams. "Anything less would only increase political
tension and instability in Pakistan."

http://www.hrw.org/english/docs/2008/01/24/pakist17857_txt.htm

http://www.hrw.org/english/docs/2008/01/24/pakist17857.htm

http://www.bbc.co.uk/urdu/pakistan/story/2008/01/080124_bbcase_questioned_sq.shtml