Draft ordinance prepared to grant immunity to July fighters: Asif Nazrul

The Law Ministry has prepared a draft ordinance to grant immunity to July fighters. The draft will soon be presented to the Advisory Council meeting for approval, said Law, Justice and Parliamentary Affairs Advisor Dr. Asif Nazrul. He gave this information in a post on his verified Facebook account on Thursday (January 8) afternoon.

In a post titled ‘Immunity of July Fighters’, Dr. Asif Nazrul wrote that the July fighters liberated the country from fascist rule by risking their lives. Therefore, it is their right to receive immunity. He said that it is the demand of the hour to enact a law granting immunity to the preventive activities carried out against the murderers of fascist Sheikh Hasina during the July Uprising.

The legal advisor further mentioned in his post that the enactment of such an immunity law is completely legal. Citing historical examples, he said that in various countries including the Arab Spring, immunity laws have been enacted for the relevant fighters after the fall of the people's government through popular uprisings or revolutions. In the case of Bangladesh too, it has a constitutional basis.

Dr. Asif Nazrul said that the legality of enacting immunity laws is clearly mentioned in Article 46 of the Constitution of Bangladesh. In addition, there is a precedent of enacting immunity laws for freedom fighters after the Great Liberation War in 1973, which gives a stronger basis to the current initiative.

He said that the Law Ministry has prepared a draft of the immunity ordinance in light of these precedents and legal explanations. He expressed optimism that, God willing, this ordinance will be presented for approval in the next meeting of the Advisory Council.

At the end of the post, Dr. Asif Nazrul said that the July Uprising is an important chapter in the country's history and 'it is our sacred duty to keep July safe.' He also commented that this initiative will ensure legal protection for the fighters associated with that historic event.