Bangladeshi Political Figures Charged with War Crimes
- 14 years ago
On Wednesday, a court in Dhaka, Bangladesh placed two senior political figures from the country’s largest Islamic political party in custody.
The two assistant secretary generals, Muhammad Kamaruzzaman and Abdul Quader Molla, were arrested on Tuesday at the gate of the Supreme Court in Dhaka for their alleged role in a 1971 massacre during Bangladesh’s war for independence from Pakistan.
Two more senior Jamaat-e-Islami leaders were named, along with three others who are not from Bangladesh.
Former liberation fighter Amir Hossain Mollah brought charges against the men over two years ago.
Mollah says the accused killed 345 people, including 21 of his relatives.
The Jamaat-e-Islami party has denied charges that it collaborated with the Pakistani army during the 1971 war.
Jamaat has in turn accused the government of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina of concocting war crimes charges to try to undermine it.
On Monday, Bangladesh imposed a travel ban on 40 people, mostly Jamaat leaders, for fear they may try to flee the country ahead of any war crimes trials.
Bangladesh, formerly East Pakistan, won independence with India's help in December 1971 following a nine-month war against Pakistan. An estimated 3 million people were killed and thousands of women raped.
The two assistant secretary generals, Muhammad Kamaruzzaman and Abdul Quader Molla, were arrested on Tuesday at the gate of the Supreme Court in Dhaka for their alleged role in a 1971 massacre during Bangladesh’s war for independence from Pakistan.
Two more senior Jamaat-e-Islami leaders were named, along with three others who are not from Bangladesh.
Former liberation fighter Amir Hossain Mollah brought charges against the men over two years ago.
Mollah says the accused killed 345 people, including 21 of his relatives.
The Jamaat-e-Islami party has denied charges that it collaborated with the Pakistani army during the 1971 war.
Jamaat has in turn accused the government of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina of concocting war crimes charges to try to undermine it.
On Monday, Bangladesh imposed a travel ban on 40 people, mostly Jamaat leaders, for fear they may try to flee the country ahead of any war crimes trials.
Bangladesh, formerly East Pakistan, won independence with India's help in December 1971 following a nine-month war against Pakistan. An estimated 3 million people were killed and thousands of women raped.