Parliament on Tuesday passed an amendment halving the time for appealing a war crimes tribunal verdict to one month.
State Minister for Law Quamrul Islam moved a bill on the International Crimes (Tribunals) (Second Amendment) Act 1973.
The Treasury MPs earlier rejected through voice vote the proposals to test public opinion on the amendment, send it to a committee for scrutiny and make further changes.
Independent MP Fazlul Azim voiced against the amendment saying, "You waited 40 years for this and now you can't wait 60 days?"
The amendment, which is to expedite the war crimes trials, says that copies of judgement would be provided to the prosecution and the defence on the day it is delivered.
The amendment also says that such a copy of the judgement would be treated as a certified copy.
The original Act of 1973 only allowed a person convicted' to appeal to the Appellate Division against such conviction within 60 days. But the amendment included provisions for the prosecution to appeal a tribunal verdict in the same manner.
The first amendment of 2009 had also brought changes to Section 21 of the law allowing for both the prosecution and the defence to appeal the tribunal's verdict.
On June 12, Parliament passed an amendment to the law allowing transfer of cases from one tribunal to another.
The bill was tabled on Sep 11 after a Sep 3 approval by the Cabinet and sent to the Parliamentary Standing Committee on the Ministry of Law, Justice and Parliamentary Affairs for a report in three days.
The two war crimes tribunals are currently handling 11 cases together. Of the eight people indicted so far, six are Jamaat-e-Islami leaders including its former chief and guru, Ghulam Azam, current chief Motiur Rahman Nizami, the party's number two Secretary General Ali Ahsan Mohammad Mujaheed, and assistant secretaries general Mohammad Kamaruzzaman and Abdul Quader Molla. Jamaat executive council member Delwar Hossain Sayedee's case is the most advanced where the defence has already begun its case.
Jamaat stalwart and financier Mir Quasem Ali and another assistant secretary general ATM Azharul Islam are behind bars while war crimes investigation against them continues.
BNP MP Salauddin Quader Chowdhury and former BNP MP and minister Abdul Alim are also facing war crimes trials.
State Minister for Law Quamrul Islam moved a bill on the International Crimes (Tribunals) (Second Amendment) Act 1973.
The Treasury MPs earlier rejected through voice vote the proposals to test public opinion on the amendment, send it to a committee for scrutiny and make further changes.
Independent MP Fazlul Azim voiced against the amendment saying, "You waited 40 years for this and now you can't wait 60 days?"
The amendment, which is to expedite the war crimes trials, says that copies of judgement would be provided to the prosecution and the defence on the day it is delivered.
The amendment also says that such a copy of the judgement would be treated as a certified copy.
The original Act of 1973 only allowed a person convicted' to appeal to the Appellate Division against such conviction within 60 days. But the amendment included provisions for the prosecution to appeal a tribunal verdict in the same manner.
The first amendment of 2009 had also brought changes to Section 21 of the law allowing for both the prosecution and the defence to appeal the tribunal's verdict.
On June 12, Parliament passed an amendment to the law allowing transfer of cases from one tribunal to another.
The bill was tabled on Sep 11 after a Sep 3 approval by the Cabinet and sent to the Parliamentary Standing Committee on the Ministry of Law, Justice and Parliamentary Affairs for a report in three days.
The two war crimes tribunals are currently handling 11 cases together. Of the eight people indicted so far, six are Jamaat-e-Islami leaders including its former chief and guru, Ghulam Azam, current chief Motiur Rahman Nizami, the party's number two Secretary General Ali Ahsan Mohammad Mujaheed, and assistant secretaries general Mohammad Kamaruzzaman and Abdul Quader Molla. Jamaat executive council member Delwar Hossain Sayedee's case is the most advanced where the defence has already begun its case.
Jamaat stalwart and financier Mir Quasem Ali and another assistant secretary general ATM Azharul Islam are behind bars while war crimes investigation against them continues.
BNP MP Salauddin Quader Chowdhury and former BNP MP and minister Abdul Alim are also facing war crimes trials.
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