Bangladesh indicts 41 on murder charges in 2013 factory fall

DHAKA – The Associated Press

In this photograph taken on July 7, 2015, the Bangladesh owner of the collapsed Rana Plaza building Sohel Rana (C) is escorted by security personnel ahead of an appearance at a court in Dhaka. AFP photo

A Bangladesh court has indicted 41 people for murder in the 2013 deaths of more than 1,100 people in the collapse of a building that housed five garment factories outside the capital.

District Judge S.M. Kuddus Zaman announced July 18 that the trial in the Rana Plaza collapse will begin on Sept. 18.

Masud Rana, who owned the building outside Dhaka, and 33 other people pleaded not guilty when the charges against them were read out in court.

Another seven are accused of absconding. If convicted, the defendants could face up to death penalty.
A police report submitted to the court called the deaths a “mass killing.”

Bangladesh is one the world’s largest exporters of garments. It earns around $20 billion a year from exports, mainly to the United States and Europe.

The disaster triggered demands for Western retailers to help introduce sweeping reforms including new safety inspections and higher wages in the industry, which employs around four million workers.

A host of Western retailers had clothing made at the factories housed at Rana Plaza, including Italy’s Benetton, Spain’s Mango and the British low-cost chain Primark.