The government on Monday initiated a process in parliament to pass a law to strip the convicted war criminals of voting rights and drop their names from the voters’ roll, if already included in the list.
Law Minister Shafique Ahmed tabled the Voters’ Roll (second amendment) Bill, 2013 amid absence of the main opposition BNP – the political ally of Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami which has the highest number of war criminals now facing trails. Jamaat opposed Bangladesh’s birth in 1971 and sided with the Pakistani occupation forces in committing crimes against humanity.
The constitution has an article that restricts the voting rights of persons proved to have been committed such offences.
The bill is set to pass as law in the current session of ninth parliament, set to end on October 24.
Following parliamentary rules, the bill was sent to the parliament standing committee on law ministry for further scrutiny before its passage. The cabinet approved the draft bill earlier this month.
The bill proposes that persons convicted under the Bangladesh Collaborators (special tribunals) 1973 and the International Crimes (Tribunals) Act, 1973 will not be included in the voters list.
“If already included, such convicted persons will be dropped from the list,” the minister said.
A person relinquishing Bangladeshi nationality and declared insane by a court will also be dropped from the voters’ roll, according to another provision.
Earlier, during the question-answer hour for the ministers, Shafique Ahmed said the government had been trying the war criminals giving them the chance of appeal – an opportunity not given in any war crimes courts in the world.
Replying to a question from Awami League MP Tarana Halim, the law minister said the alleged war criminals could appoint lawyers as many as they wanted.
Citing a letter from a diplomat, he said the way Bangladesh had been trying the war criminals would be a model for the whole world.
