Owners indicted over deadly blaze
Print Edition
A COURT in Dhaka, capital of Bangladesh, yesterday indicted the two owners of a garment factory and 11 others on homicide charges for a 2012 fire that killed 112 workers.
It is the first time factory owners have been prosecuted in Bangladesh’s lucrative garment industry, the world’s second largest after China.
Delwar Hossain and his wife Mahmuda Akter, owners of Tazreen Fashions Ltd, pleaded not guilty to the charges. The factory produced clothing for large international retailers including Wal-Mart.
Prosecutor Mizanur Rahman said the judge also indicted 11 factory managers and security guards. Eight of the accused were present in court while five remain at large and will be tried in their absence. The trial will begin on October 1, Rahman said.
Prosecutors argued that the owners and the others were responsible for the deaths of the workers because the factory outside had no emergency exits and the main exit was locked when fire broke out in November 2012. The defendants’ lawyer argued that the fire was an accident.
“Finally, the judge decided to indict them all,” Rahman told reporters.
The charges carry penalties ranging from seven years to life in prison.
According to court documents, investigators found that when the fire broke out, managers and security guards told workers it was part of a regular drill, delaying their possible escape. Workers found the gates locked from the outside as the fire engulfed the sprawling building, according to the investigation.
Police filed homicide charges last December against the 13 defendants.
The fire is one of several disasters that exposed unsafe conditions in the garment industry. A factory collapse in April 2013 killed more than 1,100 workers.
- About Us
- |
- Terms of Use
- |
-
RSS - |
- Privacy Policy
- |
- Contact Us
- |
- Shanghai Call Center: 962288
- |
- Tip-off hotline: 52920043
- 沪ICP证：沪ICP备05050403号-1
- |
- 互联网新闻信息服务许可证：31120180004
- |
- 网络视听许可证：0909346
- |
- 广播电视节目制作许可证：沪字第354号
- |
- 增值电信业务经营许可证：沪B2-20120012
Copyright © 1999- Shanghai Daily. All rights reserved.Preferably viewed with Internet Explorer 8 or newer browsers.
