Latest news with #ATM_Azharul_Islam
Al Jazeera
3 days ago
- General
- Al Jazeera
Bangladesh top court lifts ban on country's largest Muslim party
Bangladesh has restored the registration of the country's largest Muslim party, more than a decade after it was banned by former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina's government. Sunday's Supreme Court decision means the Jamaat-e-Islami party can now be formally listed with the Election Commission, paving the way for its participation in the next general election, which the interim government has promised to hold by June next year. Jamaat-e-Islami lawyer Shishir Monir said the ruling would allow a 'democratic, inclusive and multiparty system' in the Muslim-majority country of 170 million people. 'We hope that Bangladeshis, regardless of their ethnicity or religious identity, will vote for Jamaat and that the parliament will be vibrant with constructive debates,' Monir told journalists. The party had appealed for a review of a 2013 high court order cancelling its registration after Hasina's government was ousted in August by a student-led nationwide uprising. Hasina, 77, fled to India and is now being tried in absentia over her crackdown last year, described by prosecutors as a 'systematic attack' on protesters, which according to the United Nations, killed up to 1,400 people. The Supreme Court decision on Jamaat-e-Islami came after it overturned a conviction against ATM Azharul Islam, one of the party's key leaders, on Tuesday. Islam was sentenced to death in 2014 for rape, murder and genocide during Bangladesh's 1971 war of independence from Pakistan. Jamaat-e-Islami supported Pakistan during the war, a role that still sparks anger among many Bangladeshis today. 'We, as individuals or as a party, are not beyond making mistakes,' Jamaat-e-Islami leader Shafiqur Rahman said after Islam's conviction was overturned without specifying what he was referring to. 'We seek your pardon if we have done anything wrong,' he said. The party's members were rivals of Hasina's father, Sheikh Mujibur Rahman of the Awami League, who would become Bangladesh's founding president. Hasina banned Jamaat-e-Islami during her tenure and cracked down on its leaders. In May, Bangladesh's interim government, led by Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus, banned the Awami League, pending the outcome of legal proceedings over its crackdown on last year's mass protests.
Arab News
3 days ago
- General
- Arab News
Bangladesh top court restores Jamaat-e-Islami party
DHAKA: Bangladesh on Sunday restored the registration of the largest Islamist party, allowing it to take part in elections, more than a decade after it was removed under the now-overthrown government. The Supreme Court overturned a cancelation of Jamaat-e-Islami's registration, allowing it to be formally listed as a political party with the Election Commission. 'The Election Commission is directed to deal with the registration of that party in accordance with law,' commission lawyer Towhidul Islam told AFP. Jamaat-e-Islami party lawyer, Shishir Monir, said the Supreme Court's decision would allow a 'democratic, inclusive and multi-party system' in the Muslim-majority country of 170 million people. 'We hope that Bangladeshis, regardless of their ethnicity or religious identity, will vote for Jamaat, and that the parliament will be vibrant with constructive debates,' Monir told journalists. After Sheikh Hasina was ousted as prime minister in August, the party appealed for a review of the 2013 high court order banning it. Sunday's decision comes after the Supreme Court on May 27 overturned a conviction against a key leader of Jamaat-e-Islami, A.T.M. Azharul Islam. Islam had been sentenced to death in 2014 for rape, murder and genocide during Bangladesh's 1971 war of independence from Pakistan. Jamaat-e-Islami supported Islamabad during the war, a role that still sparks anger among many Bangladeshis today. They were rivals of Hasina's father, Sheikh Mujibur Rahman of the Awami League, who would become Bangladesh's founding figure. Hasina banned Jamaat-e-Islami during her tenure and cracked down on its leaders. In May, Bangladesh's interim government banned the Awami League, pending the outcome of a trial over its crackdown on mass protests that prompted her ouster last year.
Malay Mail
3 days ago
- General
- Malay Mail
Islamist party Jamaat-e-Islami cleared to contest Bangladesh polls after top court overturns ban
DHAKA, June 1 — Bangladesh today restored the registration of the largest Islamist party, allowing it to take part in elections, more than a decade after it was removed under the now-overthrown government. The Supreme Court overturned a cancellation of Jamaat-e-Islami's registration, allowing it to be formally listed as a political party with the Election Commission. 'The Election Commission is directed to deal with the registration of that party in accordance with law,' commission lawyer Towhidul Islam told AFP. Jamaat-e-Islami party lawyer, Shishir Monir, said the Supreme Court's decision would allow a 'democratic, inclusive and multi-party system' in the Muslim-majority country of 170 million people. 'We hope that Bangladeshis, regardless of their ethnicity or religious identity, will vote for Jamaat, and that the parliament will be vibrant with constructive debates,' Monir told journalists. After Sheikh Hasina was ousted as prime minister in August, the party appealed for a review of the 2013 high court order banning it. Today's decision comes after the Supreme Court on May 27 overturned a conviction against a key leader of Jamaat-e-Islami, ATM Azharul Islam. Islam had been sentenced to death in 2014 for rape, murder and genocide during Bangladesh's 1971 war of independence from Pakistan. Jamaat-e-Islami supported Islamabad during the war, a role that still sparks anger among many Bangladeshis today. They were rivals of Hasina's father, Sheikh Mujibur Rahman of the Awami League, who would become Bangladesh's founding figure. Hasina banned Jamaat-e-Islami during her tenure and cracked down on its leaders. In May, Bangladesh's interim government banned the Awami League, pending the outcome of a trial over its crackdown on mass protests that prompted her ouster last year. — AFP
Arab News
3 days ago
- General
- Arab News
Bangladesh top court restores largest Islamist party
DHAKA: Bangladesh on Sunday restored the registration of the largest Islamist party, allowing it to take part in elections, more than a decade after it was removed under the now-overthrown government. The Supreme Court overturned a cancelation of Jamaat-e-Islami's registration, allowing it to be formally listed as a political party with the Election Commission. 'The Election Commission is directed to deal with the registration of that party in accordance with law,' commission lawyer Towhidul Islam said. Jamaat-e-Islami party lawyer, Shishir Monir, said the Supreme Court's decision would allow a 'democratic, inclusive and multi-party system' in the Muslim-majority country of 170 million people. 'We hope that Bangladeshis, regardless of their ethnicity or religious identity, will vote for Jamaat, and that the parliament will be vibrant with constructive debates,' Monir told journalists. After Sheikh Hasina was ousted as prime minister in August, the party appealed for a review of the 2013 high court order banning it. Sunday's decision comes after the Supreme Court on May 27 overturned a conviction against a key leader of Jamaat-e-Islami, A.T.M. Azharul Islam. Islam had been sentenced to death in 2014 for rape, murder and genocide during Bangladesh's 1971 war of independence from Pakistan. Jamaat-e-Islami supported Islamabad during the war, a role that still sparks anger among many Bangladeshis today. They were rivals of Hasina's father, Sheikh Mujibur Rahman of the Awami League, who would become Bangladesh's founding figure. Hasina banned Jamaat-e-Islami during her tenure and cracked down on its leaders. In May, Bangladesh's interim government banned the Awami League, pending the outcome of a trial over its crackdown on mass protests that prompted her ouster last year.
Khaleej Times
27-05-2025
- General
- Khaleej Times
Bangladesh top court acquits Islamist leader on death row: Lawyer
Bangladesh's top court on Tuesday overturned a conviction against a key leader of the country's main Islamist party, who had been on death row since being sentenced under the regime ousted last year. A.T.M. Azharul Islam, from the Jamaat-e-Islami party, and who has been in custody since 2012, was acquitted of crimes against humanity by the Supreme Court, which ordered his release. Islam was among six senior political leaders convicted during the tenure of Sheikh Hasina, whose 15-year-long autocratic rule as prime minister ended in August 2024 when a student-led revolt forced her to flee. "He got justice because he is alive", Monir told reporters. "The appellate division failed to review the evidence in other cases for crimes against humanity". Islam's lawyer Shishir Monir said he was "fortunate" because the five other senior political leaders who had been convicted -- four from Jamaat-e-Islami, and another from the key Bangladesh National Party (BNP) -- had already been hanged. Islam had been sentenced to death in 2014 for rape, murder and genocide during Bangladesh's 1971 independence war from Pakistan. Political parties, including Jamaat-e-Islami, are readying for hugely anticipated elections which the interim government has vowed will take place by June 2026 at the latest.
