Jamaat-e-Islami was prohibited by the administration of former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina due to its participation in war crimes committed against Bangladeshis in 1971.
Bangladesh’s highest court on Sunday overturned a previous decision, potentially allowing Jamaat-e-Islami, a political party with Islamist ideologies, to be recognized as a registered political entity again, after the party was previously prohibited by the government of former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina.
According to local news outlets, the Supreme Court’s Appellate Division reversed a 2013 High Court ruling that declared Jamaat’s registration as a political party to be unlawful. The court also instructed the election commission to officially reinstate Jamaat’s registration, allowing it to participate in elections, including those at the national parliamentary level.
Lawyers representing the party stated that Jamaat’s registration was canceled through politically motivated public interest litigation, and Sunday’s verdict has ensured the establishment of a multi-party democratic and participatory parliament.
The party actively opposed Bangladesh’s 1971 Liberation War, which resulted in the country’s independence from Pakistan. Following a protracted legal battle, its registration with the election commission was revoked in 2013. In August 2024, just days before Hasina’s Awami League government was removed from power, all activities of Jamaat and its student wing, Islami Chhatra Shibir, were outlawed under anti-terrorism legislation.
The Hasina government accused Jamaat of committing genocide, war crimes, and crimes against humanity during the 1971 war, based on verdicts delivered by the International Crimes Tribunal, which was specifically established to prosecute those accused of war crimes.
Days after taking office following Hasina’s removal, the interim government, led by Nobel Peace Prize laureate Muhammad Yunus, reversed the previous decision and lifted the ban on the political activities of the party and its affiliated organizations.
The Supreme Court’s ruling on Sunday occurs amidst ongoing political unrest in Bangladesh, which, according to local media, is a result of the Yunus administration’s reluctance to announce elections in the country.
In a separate development, the same International Crimes Tribunal that previously convicted Jamaat leaders issued arrest warrants on Sunday for former Prime Minister Hasina and former Home Minister Asaduzzaman Khan, accusing them of crimes against humanity in connection with their alleged involvement in suppressing a major uprising in July 2024. The tribunal’s ruling has paved the way for Hasina to stand trial. Dhaka had previously sent a diplomatic note to New Delhi requesting Hasina’s return to face trial, but the Indian government has not yet formally responded.
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