Bangladesh executed a member of the Jamaat-e-Islami party on Sept. 3 for war crimes committed during the country's 1971 war of independence. Mir Quasem Ali was accused of murder, confinement, torture, and inciting religious hatred. In all, five leaders of the party have been executed for war crimes in the country in recent years. Ali was arrested in 2010 and convicted of eight charges in 2014. He was sentenced to death by the International Crimes Tribunal, Bangladesh (ICTB) and the sentence was upheld by the Bangladeshi Supreme Court in March. UN humans rights experts urged the government of Bangladesh to repeal the death sentence imposed on Ali for failing to meet international standards on fair trial and due process for the imposition of the death penalty.
The ICTB, established in 2009 under the International Crimes Act, is charged with investigating and prosecuting war crimes committed during the 1971 war of independence. During the conflict, more than 3 million people are believed to have died and thousands of women raped, but the Jamaat-e-Islami party insists it did not commit any war crimes. Human rights groups have criticized death sentences imposed by the ICTB, stating that trials of war criminals have "failed to meet international standards."
From Jurist, Sept. 4. Used with permission.
Bangladesh war crimes tribunal sentences five to death
The International Crimes Tribunal of Bangladesh (ICTB) on Aug. 13 sentenced five people to death for crimes against humanity during the country’s 1971 war of independence from Pakistan. The judgement marks the fourth time in 2018 that the ICTB has imposed the death penalty. (Jurist)
US citizen arrested in Bangladesh for 1971 war crimes
Several news outlets report that US citizen Mohamed Jubair Monir, 62, of Bangladeshi descent, was arrested in Bangladesh in late December for allegedly committing war crimes, including rape and murder, during the country’s 1971 war of independence from Pakistan, though Monir was only 13 years old during the war.
Monir's family offered pictures and other forms of identification, including his birth certificate, to show Monir’s age and innocence during the war. He is currently being held in the Keraniganj jail. Monir is set to be tried before the International Crimes Tribunal of Bangladesh for the alleged 1971 crimes. (Jurist)
Bangladesh sentences eight for war crimes
In a unanimous decision rendered Feb. 12 by the three-member International Crimes Tribunal of Bangladesh, three persons were sentenced to life imprisonment and five more were sentenced to 20 years in prison for crimes against humanity committed during the 1971 Liberation War. The court found each of the eight persons guilty of the crimes in at least one of the four charges against them.
The crimes were committed in the Gafargaon administrative region of Mymensingh division of Bangladesh. The accused were villagers in the region who joined Razakar Bahini, a paramilitary force organized by the Pakistani armed forces that opposed the liberation of East Pakistan (now Bangladesh). (Jurist)