Bangladesh Justice Takes 35 Years To Punish the Killers of Sheikh Mujibur Rahman

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Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, the leader of
Bangladesh independence movement
Photo courtesy: Press and Information Department (PID),
Govt. of Bangladesh, 1972

After long 35 years, the government of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, daughter of Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, hangs five of 12 convicted killers of the Bangabandhu (friend of Bengal) on January 28, 2010 early morning, reports The Daily Star of Dhaka.

Heavy security measures were taken both inside and around Dhaka Central Jail, where these convicted persons have been hanged: Lt. Col. Syed Farooq Rahman, Lt. Col. Sultan Shahriar Rashid Khan, Lt. Col. Mohiuddin Ahmed, Major Bazlul Huda, and army lancer A.K.M. Mohiuddin Ahmed. The Bangladesh Supreme Court on January 27 rejected the appeals of these men against their conviction.

On November 19, 2009, the Supreme Court had awarded death sentence to 12 living convicts -- of whom, these five men were already in Dhaka Central Jail, and six others (Lt. Col. Khandakar Abdur Rashid, Lt. Col. Shariful Huq Dalim, Lt. Col. A.M. Rashed Chowdhury, Lt. Col. Noor Chowdhury, Captain Abdul Mazed and Risaldar Moslemuddin) have been absconding from Bangladesh and living in different countries -- USA, Canada, Libya, and some European countries). One othe convicted person died in Zimbabwe, Africa.

Background

Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman gave the lead to Bangladesh independence movement in 1971. After independence, he gave leadership to the new country. Those who were pro-Pakistan and against the independence were looking for ways to undo the new country. They, along with some foreign countries, influenced and supported a group of young army officers to revolt and stage a coup against the elected government of Sheikh Mujibur Rahman.

These army officers, on August 15, 1975, attacked the house of President Sheikh Mujibur Rahman and brutally shot and killed him, his wife, two sons and their wives, and one young son and many others who worked in his house. A total of 20 people were killed in the house that night. Sheikh Hasina and her sister Sheikh Rehana, two daughters of Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, escaped the massacre because they were in Europe at that time.

When Sheikh Hasina came to power for the first time in 1996, she started the trial of these army officers by removing the "Indemnity Act" which was enacted by the killers with the help of Khondokar Mustaque Ahmed as the president of the new military government. This infamous Act barred anyone from taking action against the killers of Sheikh Mujibur Rahman and members of his family. Previously, Khondokar Mustaque Ahmed was important Awami League member and a minister of Bangladesh under Sheikh Mujibur Rahman.

In 1998, fifteen persons were found guilty and sentenced to death. In 2001, the High Court acquitted three. As Sheikh Hasina lost power as the Prime Minister in 2001, the new government of Khaleda Zia, her bitter rival, did not pursue the case any further.

After winning landslide victory in 2008, Sheikh Hasina restarted the case which came to conclusion with the execution of the five killers.

Bangladesh Election: Sheikh Hasina, Allies Sworn In

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Elected members of Sheikh Hasina's Awami League and its allied parties were sworn in as members of the Jatiyo Parishad (national parliament) on January 2, 2009. Mr. Jamiruddin Sarkar, the outgoing Speaker of the of the House, led the swearing-in ceremony. Sheikh Hasina with about 230 elected members of Awami League and about 50 others from allied parties took an oath of office as new MPs. As the leader of the majority party Sheikh Hasina will be sworn in on January 6 as the Prime Minister of Bangladesh. Former Prime Minister Begum Khaleda Zia, who reluctantly conceded her defeat, did not participate in the swearing-in ceremony today with elected members of her Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) and other allied parties without assigning any reason.

Election Results

In the December 29 election, 39 political parties contested for 300 parliamentary seats, of which the Grand Alliance got 262 seats (the Awami League 230 , the Jatiyo Party 27 and other parties 5) and the Four-Party Alliance secured 32 seats (the BNP 29, Jaamat-e-Islami Party 2 and other 1). Due to death of one candidate, election for that seat has been rescheduled for January 12. Begum Khaleda Zia complained of vote-rigging by the winning parties. Francesc Vendrell, chief of the UN panel on Bangladesh election, in a press conference mentioned that Bangladesh election was free and fair. The European Union team, India, the USA and other independent election observers echoed a similar sentiment.

Sheikh Hasina expressed her willingness to work with the opposition parties for strengthening democracy and achieving economic progress. She is even willing to give senior political positions to the opposition if they cooperate with her government.

Minority Voters Were At Ease

Mr. Vendrell expressed his satisfaction at the ease religious and ethnic minority voters felt throughout the country. He said that, unlike in the past, minority voters could cast their ballots without facing any intimidation.

Zillur Rahman Eyed As Next President

Both Sheikh Hasina and the Awami League said that former Awami League minister Zillur Rahman would be given the position of the country's President.

Renewed Call for War Crimes Trial

The Bangladesh Today reports that the Sector Commanders' Forum (SCF) at a post-election press conference at the Liberation War Museum in Dhaka demanded that the newly-elected government bring the war criminals to trial "for their offence of murder, rape, robbery, arson on properties during the libersation war in 1971."

Air Vice Marshall (retd.) A. K. Khandaker, chairman of the SCF, renewed the call upon the BNP to sever all its ties with the Jaamat-e-Islami that had actively cooperated with the West Pakistani army in the then East Pakistan (present Bangladesh) and help punish war criminals. He also urged the new government to revive the International War Crime (Tribunal) Act 1973 which was initiated by Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman (father of newly-elected MP and next Prime Minister-to-be Sheikh Hasina), form a commission or establish office of the chief prosecutor, revive Collaborator Act that was cancelled by a new government in 1975, send a formal request to the UN Secretary General requesting for trial of war criminals as done with Bosnia, Cambodia and Rwanda. The SCF leaders also called for the restoration of 1972 Constitution that had declared Bangladesh a non-communal state.

Air Vice Marshall Khandakar finally said, "The SCF will provide all information and documents required to punish war criminals during the trial."