Bangladesh Court Rules Top Islamic Party Can’t Contest Election

A top Bangladesh court ruled the registration of the nation’s biggest Islamic group as a political party illegal, barring it from contesting next year’s election and deepening concerns over growing violence.

Yesterday’s verdict by the Dhaka High Court was in response to a 2009 petition claiming that Jamaat-e-Islami, an opponent of the current governing party, does not believe in democracy or the sovereignty of Bangladesh. Several of Jamaat’s leaders have this year been sentenced to jail or death by a tribunal judging crimes during the country’s war of independence four decades ago, sparking deadly unrest.