Yesterday, a Bangladesh court indicted 41 people for the murder of the more than 1,100 garment workers that died in the 2013 collapse of Rana Plaza.
Initially the defendants, which include the building’s owner, his parents, and the owners of the five factories housed within the building, were charged with culpable homicide, which carries a maximum punishment of seven years in jail. However, the charges were upgraded to murder when investigators found that Rana’s staff, and the factories’ management, forced reluctant workers to enter the facility on the morning it collapsed, despite their concerns about major structural cracks that developed the day before. Deemed a “mass killing” by the official police report, those convicted could face the death penalty.
In its wake, the collapse triggered international uproar and calls for reforms in an industry that earns Bangladesh more than $20 billion annually. However, still no legal action has been taken against the western retailers that were utilizing the facility, such as Joe Fresh and J.C. Penny’s.
You can read more about the indictment over at The Washington Post. What do you guys think? Do the owners deserve to be put to death? Should the retailers be held accountable as well?
