The Bangladesh parliament, as its first move to enact a law, has unanimously adopted a private member resolution to confiscate all movable and immovable assets of convicted killers of the Father of the Nation and war criminals.
Ruling Awami League (AL) member of parliament Fazilatun Nasa Bappy (Women Seat-30) placed the private member resolution in the parliament to confiscate all movable and immovable assets of convicted killers of the Father of the Nation, Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman.
Making amendments to the resolution, two AL lawmakers - Monirul Islam (Jessore-2) and Sanjida Khanom (Women Seat-24) - proposed confiscating the property of those who were convicted of war crimes too.
The resolution was passed unanimously by voice vote when Deputy Speaker Fazle Rabbi Miah, who was in the chair, placed it for vote.
Earlier, Law Minister Anisul Huq in his speech on the resolution said the parliament should adopt the resolution, terming it very time-befitting.
He said his ministry has already initiated a process to draft a bill to confiscate moveable and immovable property of the war criminals and killers of Bangabandhu.
“I want to inform the parliament that the bill will be placed soon,” he said.
Regarding the confiscation of the property of Bangabandhu’s killers, the minister said assets of those absconding will be taken away first.
“Subsequently, the property of Bangabandhu’s killers who have been hanged will be confiscated by enacting a law as their heirs inherited their property immediately after their execution,” he said, adding that it will take a little bit of time.
But no law will be needed to confiscate the property of the fugitive killers, he said. “The killers of the Father of the Nation have no right to own any property in Bangladesh.”
Anisul said a task force has been formed to bring back the absconding killers of Bangabandhu.
Five out of the 12 killers of Bangabandhu have so far been executed while six are absconding and one died.
On the other hand, the International Crimes Tribunal has so far convicted 50 war criminals with six of them hanged.
Confiscation of the property owned by the persons convicted in crimes committed during Bangladesh’s 1971 war of liberation from Pakistan has been a long-time demand by the freedom fighters.
Parliament in 2009 unanimously adopted a resolution to prosecute the war crimes as number of elements under the leadership of Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami party aided the Pakistan army during the nine-month war. They also carried out atrocities on unarmed civilians.
In line with the resolution and her 2008 election pledges, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina set up a special tribunal to try the war crimes suspects, mostly from the Jamaat-e-Islami party. Abdul Kader Molla, Motiur Rahman Nizami, Qamaruzaman, Ali Ahsan Mohammad Mujahid, Mir Quasem Ali of the Jamaat party and Salauddin Quader Chowdhury were hanged for their wartime crimes.