Law Minister Md. Asaduzzaman stated that all necessary steps would be taken to bring back former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, currently residing in India, under the prisoner exchange treaty. He also expressed hope that the Indian government would hand over Sheikh Hasina in this regard.
The Law Minister made these remarks on Sunday (November 8) while speaking at a ‘Judicial Integrity Workshop’ organized for judges at a hotel in the capital.
He also mentioned that Bangladesh expects justice in the verdict of the Rohingya genocide case at the International Court on November 19.
Referring to the killings during the 1971 Liberation War and the 2024 mass uprising, the Law Minister stated that just as there is a need to be vocal against those who opposed the Liberation War and were involved in genocide, so too must there be a voice against the murderers of those killed in various movements and struggles.
He recalled martyrs such as Zafar, Joynal, Dipali Saha, Kanchan, Rafun, Basunia, Jihad, and Dr. Milon from the 1971 Liberation War. He also noted that over 1,400 people, including Abu Said, Mugdho, and Anas, were killed, and nearly 300 were left disabled in the 2024 mass uprising.
The Law Minister stated that a culture of being vocal against those responsible for these killings must be developed.
He further added that Bangladeshi society has been intellectually divided. Currently, a section of intellectuals is playing a silent role. Despite so many people being killed and injured in the July mass uprising, no statements from this section have been observed regarding them.
He remarked that, besides questioning the integrity of the judiciary, it is also necessary to discuss intellectual corruption within the judiciary.
The Law Minister stated that Transparency International, in raising questions about the judiciary’s integrity, views the matter solely from the perspective of financial corruption. However, another significant aspect of the judiciary’s crisis is intellectual corruption.
According to him, intellectual corruption has been far more detrimental to Bangladesh’s judiciary and the country than financial corruption.
