Bill placed to change law

War Crime Trial
Bill placed to change law
A bill was placed in parliament yesterday seeking amendment to the International Crimes (Tribunal) Act 1973 to try any individual and group of individuals on charge of 1971 war crimes.
Law, Justice and Parliamentary Affairs Minister Shafique Ahmed placed the bill with a proposal for including a provision in it for empowering the government to file appeal with the Appellate Division of the Supreme Court against the acquittal order of a tribunal.
The bill, likely to be passed today, was sent to the parliamentary standing committee on the law ministry for scrutiny. The committee will submit its report in the House by 12:00noon today.
There are provisions for trying members of the armed forces and their auxiliary forces under the 1973 act.
The tribunal should function independently for ensuring fair trial, the bill said.
“A person who is a judge, or qualified to be a judge, or has been a judge of the Supreme Court of Bangladesh, may be appointed as a chairman or member of a tribunal,” the bill proposed.
The bill also proposed inclusion of a new clause in the definition chapter of the act. The new clause says ‘armed forces’ means the forces raised and maintained under the army act 1952, the air force act, 1953 or the navy ordinance, 1961.
In defence of amending the act, the law minister said since the present government is determined to hold trial of the 1971 war criminals, it needs to amend the existing act to make it up to date.
He said if the trial is held under the amended act it would be fair, transparent and acceptable to all.
Meanwhile, the House yesterday passed seven bills amending Islamic University Act 1980, National University Act 1992, Bangladesh Open University Act 1992, Sher-e-Bangla Agriculture University Act, 2001, Jagannath University Act, 2005, Jatiya Kobi Kazi Nazrul Islam University Act 2006 and Sylhet Agriculture University Act 2006.
With the passage of the bills, the president replaces the prime minister as chancellor of the seven public universities.

Courtesy of The Daily Star