Bangladesh MP sentenced to death for war crimes
The International Crimes Tribunal Bangladesh (ICTB) on Oct. 1 sentenced Salahuddin Quader Chowdhury, a member of parliament for the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP), to death for war crimes committed during the 1971 Bangladesh Liberation War. Chowdhury is the first member of the BNP to stand trial for war crimes under the tribunal set up by the Awami League-led government in 2010. He was found guilty on nine of 23 charges stemming from accusations regarding his role in war crimes committed by pro-Pakistan militias. Chowdhury is expected to appeal his conviction in the Supreme Court.
Bangladesh has suffered in recent months from a wave of violent protests over war crimes convictions against leaders of the Jamaat-e-Islami (JI) party. The Supreme Court of Bangladesh last month sentenced Abdul Quader Mollah, assistant secretary general of the Islamist party JI, to death. This overturned a February ruling by the ICTB, which sentenced Mollah to life in prison for crimes committed during the 1971 war. In July, Ali Ahsan Mojaheed was found guilty of five charges by the ICTB, including those of kidnapping and killing a journalist and a number of other people during the war. Also in July, Ghulam Azam, chief of JI in Bangladesh until 2000, was found guilty by the ICTB of five charges of planning, conspiracy, incitement, complicity and murder during the war.
From Jurist, Oct. 1. Used with permission.
Bangladesh opposition leader guilty of crimes against humanity
The International Crimes Tribunal of Bangladesh (ICTB) on Oct. 9 found Abdul Alim, leader of the opposition Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP), guilty of crimes against humanity and sentenced him to life imprisonment. Alim was found to have lead groups of Pakistani soldiers on raids to kill Hindu civilians, as well as generally targeting civilians during the conflict. The tribunal took Alim's age, 83, and illness into consideration in handing down the verdict. According to his lawyers, Alim plans to appeal the decision.
From Jurist, Oct. 9. Used with permission.
Bangladesh tribunal sentences two men to death
The International Crimes Tribunal Bangladesh (ICTB) on Nov. 3 sentenced two men to death for crimes during the Bangladesh Liberation War in 1971. The court found Chowdhury Mueen Uddin and Ashrafuzzaman Khan, both members of the Jamaat-e-Islami (JI) party, guilty of abducting and murdering 18 people in December 1971. JI is an ally of Bangladesh's main opposition group, the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP. Bangladesh claims that Pakistani soldiers and local collaborators killed three million people and raped 200,000 women during the 1971 war.
From Jurist, Nov. 4. Used with permission.
Bangladesh sentences 152 to death over mutiny
A Bangladeshi court sentenced 152 former members of a paramilitary border security force, the 13th Bangladesh Rifles (BDR) [official website] Battalion, to death on Tuesday in connection with their participation in a February 2009 mutiny in which 74 people died, including 57 top political officers. The court also acquitted 271 people. Prosecutors in the case initially brought charges against 850 people, although 277 had been acquitted in August 2011. Defense lawyers for those sentenced to death have stated that they will appeal the decision.
From Jurist, Nov. 4. Used with permission.