3 awarded death penalty for war crimes committed 5 decades ago in Bangladesh

By Md. Kamruzzaman

DHAKA, Bangladesh (AA) - A Bangladeshi court on Thursday awarded the death penalty to three aged citizens for crimes against humanity said to be committed more than five decades ago during the 1971 Liberation War between Bangladesh and Pakistan.

The International Crimes Tribunal -- a domestic war crimes tribunal in Bangladesh set up in 2009 to try cases of crimes against humanity during the 9-month-long war between then East Pakistan (currently Bangladesh) and West Pakistan (present Pakistan) from March to December 1971 -- delivered the verdict against the convicts for war crimes, including murder and rape.

The convicts are Abdul Aziz, Abdul Mannan, and fugitive Abdul Motin, who have been accused of murder, genocide, rape, and torture in the Barlekha region in the eastern district of Moulvibazar during the Liberation War.

According to the verdict, the convicted joined the Razakar force that helped the Pakistani army during the war and committed crimes against humanity.

According to the existing law, the three can appeal before the Supreme Court against the verdict. If capital punishment is upheld in the top court, they can seek a presidential pardon, the last option for them to escape the punishment.

Two International Crimes Tribunals are currently functioning in Bangladesh and have awarded the death penalty to dozens of people, including some top leaders of the country’s main Islamic political party, Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami, and the main opposition political party, Bangladesh Nationalist Party.

Opposition leaders as well as many local and international rights groups have raised questions over the transparency and credibility of the judicial process.