Dhaka, Feb 20: The Bangladesh government has given
its nod to an anti-terror ordinance, enacted by the previous
interim government, having provisions of capital punishment
for the terrorists.
In a cabinet meeting chaired by Prime Minister Sheikh
Hasina, the government has approved the Anti-Terrorism
Ordinance which has provisions of death sentence for
terrorists, Officials said.
In yesterday's meeting, the cabinet also okayed four
other bills to be tabled before parliament during its current
session.
"If any person is found guilty of carrying out terrorist
activities, he or she will be awarded death sentence or life
imprisonment or maximum 20 years and minimum three years
rigorous imprisonment," read the law which also empowers
Bangladesh Bank to freeze accounts of suspected terrorists
and their monetary transactions through banking systems.
The law suggests that if anyone commits murder inflicting
grievous injury keeping anyone confined, kidnapping or damages
property to create panic among the people or government, or
jeopardises the country's security, sovereignty and integrity
by using explosives, arms and chemicals, he or she will be
charged with terrorist offences.
Officials said the cabinet approved the ordinance despite
an expert committee had recommended not to invoke the law as
it suggests all crimes under the ordinance to be treated as
cognisable and non-bailable offences and their trial to be
conducted in speedy special tribunals.
It also authorizes police to detain a person suspected of
terrorism on remand for ten days, which can be extended to
five more days by the court.
The past interim administration, installed with crucial
military support on January 12, 2007, promulgated the
ordinance following the international anti-terrorism
conventions that Bangladesh has signed.
The law stipulates that those who finance terrorist
groups, whether they are composed of local or foreign
elements, will also be tried under the law. For terror
financing, a convict will serve maximum 20 years of rigorous
imprisonment and minimum three years with financial penalty.
The law empowered the authorities to ban any extremist
group. Offences like publicity or broadcast in favour of any
outlawed organisation carried a maximum sentence of seven
years and minimum two years.
For sheltering a terrorist, one may be jailed for maximum
five years if the prime offender is given death sentence.
The cabinet decision came days after a Bangladesh's
minister admitted that terrorist outfits having cross-border
links still existed in the country.
State Minister for Foreign Affairs Hassan Mahmud said
Bangladesh's territory and porous borders might have been used
by outfits hostile to India.
"Since terrorist attacks have been happening in the
region in the past few months, even in Mumbai, there are
cross-border linkages of these terrorists," said Mahmud.
The minister said besides the Laskhar-e-Toiba or HuJI,
several other outfits also were engaged in cross-border
terrorism.
"They trained in Afghanistan, they were in Pakistan, then
they came here. Its dangerous... they cooperate among
themselves, now we have to cooperate among ourselves in the
region to combat them," Mahmud said.
Bureau Report