Press Release
بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم
Demonstration and Rally demanding the Abolishment of all Repressive Black Laws and lifting the Illegal and Unjust Ban on Hizb ut Tahrir
Hizb ut Tahrir / Wilayah Bangladesh, organized today (13/09/2024) on Friday after Jumu’ah a demonstration and rally at National Mosque Baitul Mukarram North Gate demanding the abolishment of all black laws left by tyrant Hasina and withdrawal of illegal and unjust ban on Hizb ut Tahrir. The following is a summary of the speeches delivered by the speakers in the pre-march rally.
The speakers said that Hasina government has fallen but the black laws by which the tyrant Hasina oppressed the people are still in existence. From this rally, we want to demand immediate abolish of all black laws including Repressive Special Powers Act and Section 54 of Criminal Procedure Code, Anti-Terrorism Act and Cyber Security Act. In fact, the Colonialists introduced the “black laws” to oppress the people of the region, and later their agent regimes continued to enforce the black laws under different names to oppress the people of the country in the same way.
We know about Section 54 of the existing Code of Criminal Procedure, the British first enacted this Act in 1898 to suppress anti-British mass movements. They created section 54 of that law and arrested millions of people without warrant. The Special Powers Act was passed in 1974 to suppress the people. Under this Act, the police were empowered to detain any suspect without warrant. Later in continuation of these repressive laws “Bakshal” was established.
The Anti-Terrorism Act-2009 was enacted, focusing the Western global war on Islam. The Hasina government came into power with the promise of waging the “war on Islam” in the name of the West’s “war on terror” to counter the revival of the Muslim Ummah and political Islam. As you know, in February 2009, Hizb ut-Tahrir raised a strong and courageous protest against the killing of talented military officers in Pilkhana in the conspiracy of Hasina and India. In this context, tyrant Hasina banned Hizb ut Tahrir through a mere ‘press note’ and used this law to crack down on party leaders and activists. In addition, under this law, numerous ulema, politicians and general public faced forced-disappearance, arrests and torture. Moreover, people have witnessed how the Cyber Security Act have suppressed the voices of sincere politicians, journalists and intellectuals.
Speakers also said, these black laws are prohibited according to Islamic Shariah. Because it is the religious duty of every Muslim to hold the rulers accountable. The Prophet ﷺ said, “The best Jihad is speaking the truth in front of tyrants” (Ahmad, Tirmidhi). In addition, arresting and detaining suspects is against the Shari’ah, in which the Islamic penal principle states, “A person is innocent until proven guilty“.
The speakers raised the issue of withdrawal of the illegal and unjust ban on Hizb ut Tahrir: Hizb ut Tahrir was the first victim of tyrant Hasina’s black law soon after coming to power. In 2009, when the brutal Pilkhana massacre took place due to the conspiracy of Hasina and India, the only party in Bangladesh to expose this issue to the nation with sincerity and courage was Hizb ut Tahrir. The murderous Hasina government failed to deal with Hizb ut Tahrir politically, and imposed illegal and unjust restrictions on its activities through a mere press note – without any memo number, SRO number and articles of law – to suppress its truthful and uncompromising voice. However, Hizb ut Tahrir continued its activities, especially protesting the arrests, disappearances, murders, dismissals of army officers by the Hasina government and continued its uncompromising political struggle against Hasina regime’s anti-Islamic activities. In such a context, tyrant Hasina in 2013 once again forcefully without caring about any law used its executive order to list Hizb ut Tahrir under this infamous Anti-Terrorism Act. We strongly demand the punishment of the executive body on that time who abused the state power in such a heinous way. Using this black law, the fallen tyrannical Hasina government has carried out indescribable repression on BNP, Jamaat-e-Islami, Hefazat-e-Islam, including numerous political leaders-activists, scholars-ulema, intellectuals, journalists, protesting individuals and created the infamous “AYNA GHAR”. We are demanding punishment against the perpetrators of each of those crimes.
We would like to advise the Interim Government to not fall into the trap of reforming of the black laws. They must immediately take steps to abolish the black laws and lift the illegal and unjust ban on Hizb ut Tahrir that was imposed by the tyrant Hasina. Jamaat-e-Islami was the latest victim of the dictatorial Hasina government’s ban, whereas we were their first victim. They should separate themselves from the tyrannical Hasina government by ensuring fairness and justice and prove that they are against anti-discrimination.
The speaker also said: Do not listen to the propaganda of local and foreign slanderers against Hizb ut Tahrir. It is an intellectual and political party that conducts systematic political activities, and does not resort to violence in any way to propagate its ideology. Moreover, Hizb ut Tahrir has strongly condemned the attacks on the minority community, attacks on shrines and other attempts to destroy communal harmony in the country. This was our stance in the past, at present and will be in the future. Moreover, Hizb ut Tahrir has stood against all anti-nation agreements and aggressions including water aggression, border killings, transit and corridors, and will continue to stand in the forefront against any aggression in future.
Finally, we would like to tell the interim government that thousands of young people from reputed universities and educational institutions of the country including Dhaka University, BUET, Chittagong University, Shahjalal University of Science and Technology, Rajshahi University, North South University, Brac University, East-West University, and former high-ranking government officials, ex-military officers, journalists, teachers, intellectuals and other influential sections of the society are united with the intellectual and political struggle of Hizb ut Tahrir. Besides, the hardworking people of the country also love Islam very much. So, by upholding the ban left by dictator Hasina against Hizb ut Tahrir, not to alienate themselves from the influential sections of the society as well as Islam loving people. Immediately lift the ban on Hizb ut Tahrir.
﴿إِنَّ فِي ذَلِكَ لَذِكْرَى لِمَنْ كَانَ لَهُ قَلْبٌ أَوْ أَلْقَى السَّمْعَ وَهُوَ شَهِيدٌ﴾
“Indeed in that is a reminder for whoever has a heart or who listens while he is present [in mind]” (Surat al-Qaf: 37).
Media Office of Hizb ut Tahrir / Wilayah Bangladesh