4 sentenced to death over 'war crimes' in Bangladesh

By SM Najmus Sakib

DHAKA, Bangladesh (AA) – A local court in Bangladesh, formed to try "war criminals," Thursday delivered death sentences to four men for their alleged involvement in crimes against humanity during the Bangladesh independence war in 1971.

A three-member International Crimes Tribunal convicted the four defendants over charges of murders, rape, looting, kidnapping, and arson during the independence war.

The tribunal, set up in 2009, has been criticized by global rights groups for not following fair trial standards. Since then, it has delivered verdicts against over 130 people in over 50 cases.

Bangladesh gained independence from Pakistan in 1971 after a bloody war that lasted for months.

The convicted accused are Abdul Mannan Howladar, Ashrab Ali, Moharaj Howladar, and Nurul Amin Howladar. Three of them were present in court during the verdict while Nurul Amin Howladar is absconding.

According to the case details, the tribunal framed charges against seven people in this case in September 2019. Later, one died in prison and two others died while they were on the run.

The convicted people were members of the Bangladesh Muslim League, a political party founded in the subcontinent in 1906 as the All-India Muslim League. Following Bangladesh's independence in 1971, the party was banned, along with other Islamic parties.

They were also activists and members of the Peace Committee and Razakar (volunteers) during the liberation war, said the case documents.