AL must face justice before contesting polls: Asif Nazrul

Law Advisor Asif Nazrul has raised doubts about whether the Awami League, ousted from power by a mass uprising, will be able to participate in elections before facing justice for the mass killings in July.

Expressing scepticism about the party’s political credibility, he said: "There are still questions about how much support this party has in politics today."

Nazrul spoke to reporters on Tuesday after a meeting with UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk at the Secretariat.

When asked if the Awami League and its allies would be allowed to take part in the upcoming elections, Nazrul said, "This isn’t my decision to make. Those who have killed thousands, injured 40,000-50,000 people, and continue to defend these actions -- if the reports are true that their leaders are issuing terror threats from abroad while being implicated in a genocide case -- I don’t believe the people of Bangladesh will accept this party. The judicial process will determine what actions can be taken."

Recently, the interim government banned the Chhatra League, the Awami League’s student affiliate, declaring it a 'terrorist organisation' in response to demands from the Anti-discrimination Student Movement that toppled the Sheikh Hasina regime.

Members of the Anti-discrimination Student Movement also filed writ petitions challenging the legitimacy of the last three national elections and seeking an order to bar the Awami League and 11 parties from engaging in political activities. However, their lawyer subsequently informed the court that these will not be pursued for now.

On the Awami League, one of the country’s oldest parties, Nazrul said, "Can they continue political activities without facing accountability and seeking redemption for the deaths of thousands? Listening to their statements, it seems they would try. But this will go through a due process."

He continued, "This party still tries to dismiss the leaders of a major movement as a ‘teen gang’ and threatens more violence if given the chance. Whether this party should retain political rights is a question that every citizen with a conscience should ask."