Commonwealth Secretary-General lauds Sheikh Hasina

Law, Justice and Parliamentary Affairs Minister Anisul Huq had a meeting with the Commonwealth Secretary-General Patricia Scotland in Nassau, the Bahamas. The Secretary-General lauded the leadership of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, particularly for championing girls’ education, women’s empowerment and building a harmonious society.

She was also very appreciative of Bangladesh’s active engagement with Commonwealth and requested the Minister to share more of
Bangladesh’s success stories for the benefit of other Commonwealth member countries. The Law Minister iterated Bangladesh’s commitment to the Commonwealth values and processes. He also thanked the Commonwealth for praising Bangladesh government on Rohingya
issues.

The Minister is attending a three-day meeting of Commonwealth Law Ministers from 16-19 October. The theme of the meeting is ‘Strengthening the Rule of Law through Technology’. A wide range of issues are discussed including strengthening legal frameworks for sustainable development, climate change, governance and promoting peace and security.

He, in his interventions, highlighted the various legislative changes introduced by the government of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina over the last eight years to ensure the democratic rights of the people, strengthen democratic institutions, facilitate development, combat the adverse impacts of climate change and root out extremism and terrorism.

Deliberating on the laws enacted to ensure democracy, human rights and rule of law, Minister Huq mentioned the formation of National Human Rights Commission, its independence and function. He also discussed the establishment and proceedings of the International Crimes Tribunal which, he stated, was to ensure justice to the victims of genocide that took place during Bangladesh’s War of Independence.

Terming terrorism as a global phenomena, the Minister underlined the necessity of a unified approach to condemn and combat this scourge. He stressed the need for pre-emptive action, educating people and engaging community and religious leaders to deplore terrorist activities. Apart from the Anti-terrorism and Anti-money Laundering Acts, he mentioned that the Government was exploring ways on how to bring those responsible for abusing ICT to spread extremist venom.

The meeting is also attended by Attorney Generals and senior law officials from different countries under Commonwealth.