Dhaka: Law Minister Anisul Huq on Thursday said the existing laws that have the provision of capital punishment will remain unchanged, but the government may consider removing it while formulating any new law in the future.

‘There’ll be no change in this regard [removing death penalty],’ he said while talking to reporters after a meeting with a European Parliament delegation at his ministry.

Anisul said if the government thinks death penalty is the appropriate punishment for certain crimes, the provision will have its place in the new laws, too.

Talking about the logic behind removing the death penalty provision, he said it is always difficult to bring any condemned convict if s/he flees to another country. ‘S/he (convict) tells that country that s/he will be executed if returns home.’

The Law Minister also said a code of conduct is also required for Supreme Court judges. ‘There should be a code of conduct for SC judges…I’ll request the Chief Justice to think about it,’ he said.

The SC judges who have gone on LPR should not practise as lawyers in the Appellate Division until they complete the LPR period, he said.

The minister came up with the remarks a day after Justice Nazrul Islam Chowdhury, a retired HC judge, appeared before the Appellate Division as a defence counsel for convicted war criminal Mir Quasem Ali.