Bangladesh SC restores registration of banned Jamaat-e-Islami party
What's the story
The Supreme Court of Bangladesh has restored the registration of the Jamaat-e-Islami party, the country's largest Islamic party, more than a decade after it was banned.
The court overturned the cancellation of the party's registration.
"The Election Commission is directed to deal with the registration of that party in accordance with law," commission lawyer Towhidul Islam told AFP.
Legal perspective
Jamaat-e-Islami's lawyer welcomes Supreme Court decision
Shishir Monir, the lawyer for Jamaat-e-Islami, welcomed the Supreme Court's decision.
He said it would pave the way for a "democratic, inclusive and multi-party system" in Bangladesh, which has a population of 170 million.
"We hope that Bangladeshis, regardless of their ethnicity or religious identity, will vote for Jamaat, and that the parliament will be vibrant with constructive debates," Monir told journalists.
Legal review
Supreme Court overturns conviction of Jamaat-e-Islami leader
The decision to restore Jamaat-e-Islami's registration comes after the Supreme Court overturned a conviction against one of its key leaders, ATM Azharul Islam.
Islam was sentenced to death in 2014 for crimes committed during Bangladesh's 1971 war of independence from Pakistan.
The party had supported Islamabad during the war, a stance that continues to anger many Bangladeshis.
Political landscape
Jamaat-e-Islami's ban and interim government's actions
The party was banned by Sheikh Hasina during her tenure as prime minister. Hasina's father, Sheikh Mujibur Rahman of the Awami League, was a rival of Jamaat-e-Islami.
In May, Bangladesh's interim government banned the Awami League amid a trial over its crackdown on mass protests that led to Hasina's ouster last year.