Bangladesh Islamists Warn of Anarchy After War Crime Changes
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The biggest Islamic party in Bangladesh said the government’s decision to strengthen the powers of a war crimes tribunal risked plunging the country into anarchy and vowed to enforce a nationwide strike.
Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina Wajed yesterday enabled the International Crimes Tribunal to punish any organization whose members carried out crimes during Bangladesh’s fight for independence. The move sparked reports the government was preparing to ban Jamaat-e-Islami, an extremist group which sided with Pakistan during the 1971 war and whose members account for nine of the dozen people facing the tribunal.