Dhaka, April 19 -- British journalist and human rights activist David Bergman has warned that the International Crimes Tribunal (ICT) risks losing legitimacy if cases linked to the July 2024 killings are seen as being driven by politics rather than evidence.

In a Facebook post on Saturday night, he said there were growing signs that some prosecutions were becoming "politically - rather than evidentially - driven", even though others appeared stronger on the facts. "There are signs that we are moving in that direction," he wrote.

Following the July-August 2024 uprising, the ICT was repurposed from trying 1971 war crimes to handling cases over alleged crimes against humanity linked to the crackdown on protesters. It is now hearing cases a...