Judging Bangladesh’s Tribunal

Re “Unsolved atrocities in Bangladesh” (May 16): Your editorial misunderstands Bangladeshi law and focuses on trivial concerns. The contempt citations that the editorial criticizes may seem odd to Westerners, but they are common practice under Bangladeshi law. If the court decided otherwise, the rule of law, which is so vital to foreign investors, would have been undermined. More important, the citations are minor side issues compared with the central purpose of the tribunal. Finally, after 43 years of impunity, the perpetrators of genocide are being brought to justice. The accused are facing fair, open, transparent and evidence-based court proceedings that preserve the rights of defendants whether they are present or being prosecuted in absentia. The families of the victims of the genocide that occurred during Bangladesh’s liberation war are having their day in open court at last.

Akramul Qader, Washington

The writer is the ambassador of Bangladesh to the United States.

Russia’s social activists at work

Re “Forget Facebook, bring back samizdat” (Opinion, May 12): Gal Beckerman writes that Russian activists should return to samizdat (self-published media) as a response to increasing government control of the Internet. In fact, activists on the ground are way ahead of him. In the two years I’ve spent researching young left-leaning, feminist and L.G.B.T. activists in Moscow, I’ve been struck by the diversity of means they use to get their messages out. In contrast to the Soviet period, technologies like photocopiers and laser printers are widely available today, meaning every organization can distribute its own fliers, newsletters and manifestos at protest rallies and metro stations.

Losing social networking sites would be a big blow, but samizdat never really left. Activists have a large repertoire for political communication: graffiti, film showings, impromptu street rallies, conversations with co-workers, even punk concerts in major cathedrals. They’ll use the Internet as long as it’s there, but the rise of Twitter doesn’t mean that other forms of activism have disappeared.

Jessica Mason, Madison, Wis.

Counterfeit drugs and resistance

Re “The rise of antibiotic resistance” (May 12): It is true, as your editorial points out, that the indiscriminate use of antibiotics contributes to antibiotic resistance, but the effects of counterfeit drugs have largely been ignored. Counterfeit drugs used to fight infections are a major problem in developing regions, especially Africa and Asia, where regulations are weak and enforcement is rare. At the same time, counterfeiting has also become more prevalent in developed countries as drug-supply chains grow. This, along with travel and globalization, helps increase antibiotic resistance. The need for a global effort to root out fake drugs cannot be overemphasized.

Dr. Cosmas Odoemena Lagos, Nigeria