Bangladesh to scrap presidential mercy for 1971 war criminals

The government will move to ensure that the war criminals do not get presidential mercy in future, Law Minister Anisul Huq has said.

He has hinted at amending the Constitution to this end if necessary.

A Ganajagaran Mancha faction submitted a memorandum to the minister on Sunday demanding amendment to the Constitutional provision for presidential mercy.

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It also demanded filing a review petition of war crimes convict Delwar Hossain Sayedee life-in-jail term and trying Jamaat-e-Islami as a party for its role in the independence war.

The secular platform seeks maximum penalty for convicted war criminals.

Minister Huq said the very thought of Bangladesh's president letting off people convicted of crimes against humanity gave him a shiver.

"But we've seen that [war criminal Ali Ahsan Mohammad] Mujaheed and [war crimes accused Jamaat chief Motiur Rahman] Nizami had become ministers.

"I believe we have to think something about it (presidential mercy for war criminals) in future," he said.

Huq said he would talk to the government's policymakers to this end.

"The whole process of war crimes trials will be destroyed if any president shows the courage to forgive any war criminal in future.

"There can be no compromise over this process (war crimes trials). We must ensure punishment for the 1971 atrocities. We have to ensure that the war criminals do not get off the hook in any way," the law minister said.