A Bangladesh war crimes court today sentenced to death in absentia two persons – a Britain-based Muslim leader and an American citizen – after holding them guilty of committing atrocities during the 1971 liberation war, 42 years after the duo fled the country to evade justice.
“They will be hanged by neck until their death,” chairman of the three-judge International Crimes Tribunal Justice Obaidul Hassan said while sentencing the infamous Al-Badr leaders – Ashrafuzzaman Khan and Chowdhury Mueen-Uddin.
Khan and Mueen-Uddin – both 65 years old – were found guilty of killing 18 intellectuals, including nine Dhaka University teachers, six journalists and three doctors during the 1971 independence war against Pakistan.
“They encouraged, they gave moral support to and participated in the killing of 18 intellectuals,” judge Mujibur Rahman Mia said in a jam-packed courtroom here.
“Justice will not be done if they are not awarded capital punishment,” senior judge Hassan said.
All the eleven charges levelled against them by the prosecution have been proved beyond doubt, he said.
The judgement also directed authorities to take steps for the extradition of ex-journalist and “operations in-charge” of the intellectuals massacre Mueen-Uddin and “chief executioner” Ashrafuzzaman Khan to face justice.
London-based Mueen-Uddin has denied any wrongdoing while Khan, who is living in New York, is yet to make any public statement on the allegations.
The top leaders of Al-Badr, an elite auxiliary force of Pakistani troops manned by activists of fundamentalist Jamaat- e-Islami that opposed Bangladesh’s independence, fled the country after Pakistani troops surrendered to India-Bangladesh allied forces on December 16, 1971.
This was the second war crimes case held in absentia. The first case was against expelled Jamaat-e-Islami member Abul Kalam Azad who was awarded capital punishment.
This was the ninth judgement delivered by the two special tribunals since Bangladesh initiated the trial of crimes against humanity three years ago in line with ruling Awami League’s electoral pledges.
So far, five of the accused, mostly members of the Jamaat, have been sentenced to death for war crimes.