Today, the Council of Advisers, chaired by Chief Adviser (CA) Professor Muhammad Yunus, resolved to modify the Special Security Force Act 2021, so removing special security for Sheikh Hasina, the ousted prime leader, and her close associates.
“Against the backdrop of student-people mass upsurge the interim government has been formed on August 8, 2024 comprising the Chief Adviser and other advises,” the chief adviser’s office (CAO) said in a statement following a meeting of the advisory council’s meeting at the Chief Adviser’s Jamuna office.
The altered scenario, according to them, “does not allow the provisions pertaining to ‘Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman’s family’ to be implemented under administrative management in accordance with the existing law.”
The statement claimed that installing the new temporary administration required the protection of the chief adviser.
According to the statement, the council decided to amend the Special Security Force (SSF) Act, 2021 unanimously because it thought some of the restrictions should be dropped.According to the announcement, the “Security of Family Members of the Father of the Nation (Repeal) Ordinance, 2024” draft has received final clearance from the Advisory Council and will now be reviewed by the Legislative and Parliamentary Affairs Division.Talking to newsmen after the meeting advisory council member Syeda Rizwana Hasan said “the interim government was the outcome of an anti-discrimination movement”.
Rizwana, who is entrusted with the portfolio of environment, forest and climate change ministry said the council took the decision to amend the law considering it “discriminatory”.
She said the Bangladesh signed the Instrument of Accession to the International Convention for the Protection of All Persons from Enforced Disappearance, “demonstrating its commitment to investigate each and every case of enforced disappearances”.
“The Chief Advisor has signed the instrument. About 700 people are still missing for enforced disappearance. Different organisations including ‘Mayer Dak’ are working on this issue,” she said.
She underscored the need for formulating a mechanism that none can make any enforced disappearance by using the law enforcement and security agencies cashing in on the power.
“Many of us are victims of enforced disappearance. . . .we have signed the convention as no citizen can be forcibly disappeared by any forces or any means on the plea of anti-government activities, deteriorating law and order situation and national security,” Rezwana said.
December 20, 2006, saw the adoption of the International Convention for the Protection of All Persons from Enforced Disappearance in New York.
As part of reforms in a number of areas, Rizwana said the interim administration resolved to end the provision of “whitening black money,” stating that “a clear decision has been taken against the provision of whitening black money” because the government placed a high value on the issue’s ethical implications.
