Bangladesh War Crimes Tribunal Sentences 3 to Death Over 1971 Atrocities

[Black_cats]

Bangladesh War Crimes Tribunal Sentences 3 to Death Over 1971 Atrocities​

Volunteers prepare to form a large flag of Bangladesh as the nation celebrates National Victory Day at the National Parade ground in Dhaka December 16, 2013. Photo: Reuters

The convicts are in their late 60s and 70s and were known little to the public unlike the several other high-profile Jamaat leaders tried earlier while they carried out their atrocities as Razakars in northwestern Naogaon district​

PTI
DHAKA // Updated: May 31, 2022, 20:04 IST

Bangladesh’s International Crimes Tribunal on Tuesday sentenced three persons to death for collaborating with the Pakistan Army and committing crimes against humanity during the country’s Liberation War in 1971. One of the convicts is a fugitive and was tried in absentia but the other two faced the trial in person…they all were activists of Jamaat-e-Islami (party), senior prosecutor Syed Haider Ali said.

Jamaat-e-Islami was opposed to Bangladesh’s 1971 independence from Pakistan while its activists were the key-elements of Pakistan military’s auxiliary units like Razakar and Gestapo-like Al-Badar forces. A three-member panel of the tribunal led by Justice Shahinur Islam pronounced the verdict ordering the convicts to be hanged by neck until their death.
The convicts are in their late 60s and 70s and were known little to the public unlike the several other high-profile Jamaat leaders tried earlier while they carried out their atrocities as Razakars in northwestern Naogaon district. The prosecution lawyers said of the three convicts, Rezaul Karim alias Montu, was on the run. Karim was the one who led a Razakar unit in the neighbourhood of his ancestral Naogaon district, while the other two convicts — Shahid Mandol and Nazrul Islam — were his accomplices.

Montu was a student of northwestern Rajshahi University in 1971 and leader of Jamaat’s student wing Islami Chhatra Sangha. Under Bangladesh’s war crimes law, the convicts could appeal against the verdict in the apex Appellate Division of the Supreme Court.

The counsels of the three convicts said they were preparing to challenge the judgment in consultation with their clients. Bangladesh in 2010 set up two high-powered tribunals, initiating the trial process to bring to justice the collaborators of the Pakistani Army which committed war crimes in the 1971 War of Liberation. The two tribunals have so far delivered judgments in 46 cases.

The tribunals handed down death penalties in most of the cases, while in few cases the convicts were jailed until death in view of their old ages. Only six convicts have been executed so far after exhaustion of their appeals, review petitions and clemency petitions to the Bangladesh president, while 22 convicts and 53 accused still remained absconding.

The tribunal delivered its first judgment on January 21, 2013 when it handed down death penalty to Abul Kalam Azad aka Bachchu Razakar.

Bangladesh War Crimes Tribunal Sentences 3 to Death Over 1971 Atrocities

The convicts are in their late 60s and 70s and were known little to the public unlike the several other high-profile Jamaat leaders tried earlier while they carried out their atrocities as Razakars in northwestern Naogaon district

www.news18.com

 

[imadul]

گلستاں کو لہو کی ضرورت پڑی سب سے پہلے ہی گردن ہماری کٹی
پھر بھی کہتے ہیں مجھ سے یہ اہلِ چمن، یہ چمن ہے ہمارا تمہارا نہیں

 

[kingQamaR]

jamat e islami was against the creation of Pakistan as well

 

[Maula Jatt]

jamat e islami was against the creation of Pakistan as well

We should go Bangladesh style on thier ***

?

 

[Jackdaws]

Are these real and fair trials or just a way for the Bdesh Govt to eliminate political opponents?

 

[Hamza913]

Are these real and fair trials or just a way for the Bdesh Govt to eliminate political opponents?

Mainly the latter but a lot of the figures involved in such trials likely did side with Pakistan during 1971

 

[Bengal71]

Are these real and fair trials or just a way for the Bdesh Govt to eliminate political opponents?

Fair trials. Ignore the Pakistanis on this one. The ones who have been hanged and jailed so far are well known rajakars who committed atrocities.

Alhamdulillah. Justice for the victims.

 

[Joe Shearer]

Are these real and fair trials or just a way for the Bdesh Govt to eliminate political opponents?

What makes us so self-righteous that we get to doubt the judicial process of others?

گلستاں کو لہو کی ضرورت پڑی سب سے پہلے ہی گردن ہماری کٹی
پھر بھی کہتے ہیں مجھ سے یہ اہلِ چمن، یہ چمن ہے ہمارا تمہارا نہیں

What magnificent self-pity.

گلستاں کو لہو کی ضرورت پڑی سب سے پہلے ہی گردن ہماری کٹی
پھر بھی کہتے ہیں مجھ سے یہ اہلِ چمن، یہ چمن ہے ہمارا تمہارا نہیں

I don't suppose you have any clue how hurtful your remark is.

 

[Destranator]

Fair trials. Ignore the Pakistanis on this one. The ones who have been hanged and jailed so far are well known rajakars who committed atrocities.

Alhamdulillah. Justice for the victims.

I wouldn't go as far to say "fair trials" but fair verdicts.

 

[AmiEktaKharapChele]

I wouldn't go as far to say "fair trials" but fair verdicts.

100% more "Trial and due process" than the ones the Muslims and especially Hindus slaughtered by them had received.



These scum will ever be afforded the right to appeal their sentences.. what a waste of time.. I'm sure the victims families want nothing more than speedy justice.

 

[Bengal71]

100% more "Trial and due process" than the ones the Muslims and especially Hindus slaughtered by them had received.



These scum will ever be afforded the right to appeal their sentences.. what a waste of time.. I'm sure the victims families want nothing more than speedy justice.

I don't care about the appeal process, they should have the due process. However, the whole process from lower court to supreme court is too slow. It needs to be faster.

 

[Destranator]

100% more "Trial and due process" than the ones the Muslims and especially Hindus slaughtered by them had received.



These scum will ever be afforded the right to appeal their sentences.. what a waste of time.. I'm sure the victims families want nothing more than speedy justice.

Had they been taken care of in time, we wouldn't have to be discussing "due process".

 

[AmiEktaKharapChele]

I don't care about the appeal process, they should have the due process. However, the whole process from lower court to supreme court is too slow. It needs to be faster.

There is a backlog of thousands of cases at all levels of the judiciary,.. the fact that we even got a verdict on this one was because of the so called "speedy" War Crimes Tribunal..



Now if this is speedy, you can imagine what isn't

Had they been taken care of in time, we wouldn't have to be discussing "due process".

Blame Mujeeb for pardoning them, he set the example of using them for his own gain.. the ones after him merely followed suit.


Regardless, atleast it's getting done now, better late than never.

 

[Bengal71]

There is a backlog of thousands of cases at all levels of the judiciary,.. the fact that we even got a verdict on this one was because of the so called "speedy" War Crimes Tribunal..



Now if this is speedy, you can imagine what isn't




Blame Mujeeb for pardoning them, he set the example of using them for his own gain.. the ones after him merely followed suit.


Regardless, atleast it's getting done now, better late than never.

I doubt Mujib pardoned them for using them. Mujib I believe didn't realize the severity of the atrocities because of him being in jail in Pakistan throughout the whole war.

 

[AmiEktaKharapChele]

I doubt Mujib pardoned them for using them. Mujib I believe didn't realize the severity of the atrocities because of him being in jail in Pakistan throughout the whole war.

I was wrong earlier.. Actually, come to think of it Mujeeb only pardoned them because he (or Bangladesh as a whole) didn't have the time or the luxury of investigating, apprehending and eventually carrying out justice on all the thousands of collaborators.



He wanted to project stability instead of discord and uncertainty.



Perhaps, it was the right decision, perhaps, it wasn't but one thing is more sure, If we hanged, shot and maimed these vermin a thousand times and had the ability to bring them back to life for each round of punishment, it wouldn't be enough.



And any Bangladeshi, regardless of what party they support, who thinks we should live and let live; let these scum run free into the last days of their lives, is misinformed, ignorant, daft and should be ashamed of themselves.



As for the so called political motive behind these trials... I ask -


Are these people the perpetrators ? Do they proudly associate themselves with a party that aided and abetted the genocide of their own people ?



If the answer is anything but No, then the motivation behind these trials is irrelevant as justice is most definitely being served, even If it's 50 years a little too late.