JS clears anti-terror bill, AL ban upheld
The National Parliament on Wednesday approved the Anti-Terrorism (Amendment) Bill, incorporating provisions to prohibit the activities of any individual or entity found involved in terrorist activities.
The bill formalizes an ordinance issued during the tenure of the interim government and introduces a legal framework for banning the operations of such entities.
The bill was passed in the House in the yesterday afternoon through a voice vote after being placed by Home Minister Salahuddin Ahmed. Lawmakers approved the legislation without making any changes to the contents of the original ordinance.
The ordinance had amended the Anti?Terrorism Act to include provisions enabling the government to prohibit the activities of any entity engaged in terrorism.
Under the amendment introduced by the interim government, the activities of Bangladesh Awami League were banned until the completion of judicial proceedings against the party and its leaders at the International Crimes Tribunal.
Previously, the Anti-Terrorism Act did not contain a provision allowing the banning of the activities of an entity. The law only allowed the government to list an individual in the schedule or declare an entity banned through a gazette notification if they were involved in terrorist activities.
The ordinance introduced a new clause enabling authorities to prohibit all activities of such entities, and Wednesday’s passage of the bill gives the provision full legal status.
During the parliamentary proceedings, opposition leader Shafiqul Rahman objected to the timing of the bill’s passage.
He told the House that lawmakers had received a comparative sheet related to the legislation only three to four minutes earlier and had not had sufficient time to review it.
“This is undoubtedly a sensitive law. We should be given more time to examine it before passing it,” he said.
In response, Speaker Hafiz Uddin Ahmed said that there was a specific time during which objections could be raised. Since the bill had reached its final stage, he noted, there was no procedural opportunity to entertain objections at that point.
The opposition leader reiterated that the document had only just been received, but the Speaker maintained that the matter could be reviewed later and that the House could proceed with the vote.
Placing the bill for passage, the home minister said the amendment was aimed at prohibiting what he described as a “genocidal terrorist organization.”
He added that the law was part of broader legislative changes undertaken following a political movement that had generated public opinion in favor of banning the organization’s activities.
According to him, the Election Commission had already suspended the party’s registration, and subsequent amendments had also been made to relevant legislation to allow for the organization’s trial under the framework of the tribunal.
The bill states that if any individual or entity is found involved in terrorist activities, the government may issue a gazette notification declaring the entity banned, listing it in the schedule, or prohibiting all of its activities.
It further provides that any press statement issued by or on behalf of such an entity, or any form of propaganda through mass media, online platforms, or social media in its support, will be prohibited.
Organizing processions, rallies, meetings, press conferences, or delivering speeches in support of such an entity will also be barred under the law. The amendment is among a series of legislative measures related to ordinances issued during the tenure of the interim administration.
A special parliamentary committee earlier reviewed 133 ordinances promulgated during that period and recommended that 98 be approved without change and 15 be approved in amended form, while suggesting that four be repealed and 16 others be strengthened and reintroduced as new bills.
Although the Anti-Terrorism (Amendment) Ordinance had initially been among the measures recommended for approval in amended form, the bill passed on Wednesday was adopted without any modifications.
