Anti-people smuggling tribunal at seven divisional headquarters: Law minister

In an effort to curb the menace of smuggling of people, the government has decided to set up special courts.

Speaking to reporters on Wednesday, Law Minister Anisul Huq said seven ‘Human Trafficking Deterrence Tribunal’ would be set up in as many divisional headquarters in the country.

Law ministry officials said that they have already sent proposals to the public administration and finance ministries for necessary clearance.

Huq said the seven special courts will be established by adhering to provisions of the Human Trafficking Deterrence and Suppression Act.

He said that they are going to set up the tribunals at divisional headquarters rather than districts to ensure justice for the victims.

“The victims might not get justice if the trials are held in the districts where the crime has been committed. I won't explain that now,” the law minister said.

Under the existing law, the maximum punishment for such organised crimes is the death penalty while the minimum is seven years in prison.

It also has a provision to form district-level tribunal headed by session judges or additional session judges.

For now, such cases are being tried in women and children repression prevention tribunals in the districts.

According to the law minister, a total of 557 people smuggling cases has been filed so far.

Of them, trial of 12 has completed and chargesheets in 257 have been submitted.

Before speaking to the reporters, Minister Huq met Swedish Ambassador to Bangladesh Johan Frisell.

They discussed the European Union’s call for repeal of death sentence.

Huq said he told the Swedish ambassador that Bangladesh would ‘try its best not to award capital punishment’ to the people on charges other than war crimes ‘unnecessarily’.  

He also told Frisell that there was no scope to stop executing war criminals if any accused was sentenced to death by the International Crimes Tribunal.

The women and children affairs ministry will decide the minimum age for women to marry by incorporating ‘everyone’s opinion’, he told him.

The government’s plan to reduce minimum age for women to marry from 18 to 16 has been criticised in recent times.

The minister said the proposal to amend the International Crimes (Tribunals) Act, 1973 for trying Jamaat-e-Islami as a political party was submitted to the Cabinet long ago.

“I’ve asked people related to the matter to present the proposal in Cabinet meeting as soon as possible. There is no reason for the delay,” Huq said.