Ban on war-cime suspects overseas travel :Minister justifies govt's move

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Justifying some current overseas travel bans, Law Minister Shafique Ahmed said Monday the government had the authority to impose restrictions on anyone leaving the country if there was any specific allegation against them, reports UNB.
"The government can always exercise the power to that effect. The government has the power to impose bar on person/s leaving the country if they have allegations," the minister said, a day after he disclosed that there had been a bar put on war-crime suspects going abroad.
He made the remark replying to reporters after attending a discussion on 'Violence against Women and Girls: Assessing the Legal Framework' organised by the Embassy of the Netherlands at a city hotel in the afternoon.
Asked if only those who had specific allegations against them would be barred from going abroad, the law minister said the government had the legal right to impose restrictions on leaving the country on the basis of specific allegations.
He made a point here that as the government had not taken such steps of enforcing restriction, many of the accused of the Bangabandhu murder case left the country.
He noted that there was the law providing that those who had fled the country could be brought back.
Barrister Shafique said every country had a law to enforce restriction on leaving the country by those who carry allegations of crime.
Replying to another question, he said the government had certainly the list of names of those banned from leaving the country.
Asked why the government was not disclosing the list, he said it was not supposed to say anything about the list, but it could be known after lodging case.
About the US ambassador's letter, sent to the law minister, which was learnt containing concern over the restrictions, the minister said he had received the letter but had not read it.
As his attention was drawn about the higher court issuing rule nisi to government against the restriction on many leaving the country, Barrister Shafique said the High Court could not issue such blanket prohibition on such steps of the government.
"The High Court can seek explanation from the government. If the government fails to give explanation, then the High Court can take their stand," the former Supreme Court bar leader told the journalists.
On legal aid to women, the law minister said a legal-assistance directorate would be set up - and already all arrangements had been made to this end.
This directorate would give legal support to those who were truly deprived of legal assistance, facilities and fundamental rights as well as they did not have financial abilities.
Through this directorate, legal assistance would be extended all over the country and there would be committee in each district headed by the district judge and comprising other representatives, he added.
The Dutch ambassador in Dhaka, Bea ten Tusscher, first secretary Henny de Vries, former Adviser advocate Sultana Kamal, Kabori Sarwar MP and NGO personality Khushi Kabir, among others, also spoke on the occasion.