The government has issued a notification banning Jamaat-e-Islami and Islamic Chatra Shibir. This notification has been issued by the Ministry of Home Affairs on Thursday afternoon.
According to Section 18 (1) of the Anti-Terrorism Act, Jamaat-e-Islami, Chhatrashibir and their other organizations are announced to be banned. Earlier, the law ministry sent the file to the home ministry with a legal opinion on the ban.
The notification said that since the verdict of several cases handed down by the International Criminal Tribunal, Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami (formerly known Jamaate-e-Islami Bangladesh) and its affiliated organization Bangladesh Islami Chhatra Shibir (formerly Islami Chhatra Sangha) committed committed genocide, war crimes during the Liberation War in 1971 and has been held responsible for crimes against humanity; AND WHEREAS, the High Court Division of the Supreme Court of Bangladesh in its judgment dated 1 August 2013 in Writ Petition No. 630/2009 has canceled the registration granted/obtained by the Election Commission of Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami as a political party and the Appellate Division of the Supreme Court of Bangladesh, High Court Division upheld that judgment; AND WHEREAS, there is sufficient evidence before the Government that Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami and its affiliate Bangladesh Islami Chhatra Shibir were directly and indirectly involved in the recent killings, destructive activities and terrorist activities.
The notification further states that since the Government believes that Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami and all its constituent organizations including Bangladesh Islami Chhatra Shibir are involved in terrorist activities, the Government, under the powers conferred by Section 18(1) of the Anti-Terrorism Act, 2009, Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami and Bangladesh Islami Chhatra Shibir and its affiliates parties and organizations and listed all its affiliates including Islami Chhatra Shibir were declared as banned entities in Schedule-II of the Act. It will be effective immediately.
Earlier, in a briefing in his office at the Secretariat, Law Minister Anisul Haque said that the activists of Jamaat-e-Islami, Chhatra Shibir and their affiliated organizations who were born after 1971 will not be prosecuted.
Bd pratidin English/Lutful Hoque
