Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has reaffirmed her commitment to continue war crimes trial against those involved in crimes against humanity during the nation’s Liberation War in 1971.
“We have completed the trial [relating to the] Bangabandhu [Sheikh Mujibur Rahman] assassination case and executed the verdict... We are doing the same in the case of war criminals, and it will not stop,” she asserted.
The two International Crimes Tribunals have so far completed trials of 27 cases, executing 5 people and convicting over 20 others, mostly some key leaders of Jamaat-e-Islami.
Death anniversary Recalling the 1975 assassination of her father, Ms. Hasina said she deeply understands the agony of those who lost their loved ones during the Liberation War.
“I have held the trial of the killers of the Father of the Nation and, like that, [of] those who lost near and dear ones during the Liberation war,” she said.
She was the chief guest at a gathering on Wednesday held to commemorate Mujib’s 41st death anniversary organised by the ruling Awami League’s students wing, Bangladesh Chaatra League.
A group of rogue military personnel assassinated Bangladesh’s founding father along with his wife, three sons, two daughters-in-law and many others on August 15, 1975. Meanwhile, jail authorities on Wednesday read out the Supreme Court’s review verdict to Jamaat’s business tycoon Mir Quasem Ali, whose death sentence was upheld by the court earlier in the week. Ali sought more time to decide on whether he would file a mercy petition.
Inspector General of Prisons Brig Gen Syed Iftekhar Uddin said Ali will get a maximum of seven days to file a petition to the President.
“We gave him reasonable time for mercy plea. But that will not be more than seven days,” he said. Ali’s family members have already met him at the jail.
