Death penalty challenged in Bangladesh High Court
According to the petition, the death penalty is the highest punishment of Bangladesh, but it is contradictory to sections 32 and 35 of the country’s constitution
A writ petition was submitted with the High Court (HC) challenging the existing provision of death penalty on Thursday.
A directive was also sought to issue a rule as to why the provision of capital punishment should not be declared illegal and unlawful.
Secretaries of Law and Justice Division, Legislative and Parliamentary Affairs Division and Registrar General of the Supreme Court were made respondents to the petition.
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Supreme Court lawyer Ishrat Hasan filed the petition with the concerned bench of the HC on Thursday.
The petition will be produced before the HC bench of Justice Mustafa Zaman Islam and Justice Md Ataulllah for the hearing on 9 December, said the petitioner.
According to the petition, the death penalty is the highest punishment of Bangladesh, but it is contradictory to sections 32 and 35 of the country's constitution.
Moreover, the death penalty was discouraged in the 'UN Convention on Human Rights-1948', 'International Convention on Civil and Political Rights-1966' and 'Convention against Torture-1984'.
As Bangladesh is a signatory member country of the laws, hence there is an obligation to prohibit the death penalty. A total of 112 countries of the world have already banned capital punishment, the petition said.
As Bangladesh is a signatory to the international laws banning the death penalty and the country is bound to abide by the section 25 of the constitution as per the International Law.
