Bangabandhu killers to be hanged soon

by Special Correspondent
January 27, 2010

http://www.weeklyblitz.net/457/bangabandhu-killers-to-be-hanged-soon

Killers of the founding father of Bangladesh are expected to face Manila Rope very soon. All necessary preparations for the much awaiting execution of the death penalty of Syed Faruque Rahman, Mohiuddin Ahmed, AKM Mohiuddin Ahmed, Bazlul Huda and Sultan Shahriar Rashid Chowdhury are already completed at Dhaka Central Jail.

Some of the killers are yet absconding. They are Khandaker Abdur Rashid, Shariful Huq Dalim, Rashed Chowdhury, Nur Chowdhury, Abdul Mazed and Moslemuddin.

A four-member Appellate Division bench, chaired by the chief justice, Tafazzul Islam heard the petition filed by the five death-row convicts seeking revision of the verdict that had rejected their appeals against the conviction in the Sheikh Mujibur Rahman murder case.

Iterating his main arguments that Sheikh Mujib's killing was part of a mutiny in the army, Khan Saifur Rahman, counsel for Syed Faruque Rahman and Mohiuddin Ahmed [artillery], argued that verdict had not explained why the incident was not a mutiny.'

'Several units of the army participated in the August 15, 1975 incidents and the top army officers, including the then army chief and deputy army chief, later accepted the then new president,' Saifur argued. 'Why was the killing not part of mutiny then?'

He also claimed that prosecution witnesses had termed the killing a mutiny. But the court did not consider the depositions saying the defense had failed to prove the incident to be a mutiny. 'It is the duty of the prosecution to prove charges against the people accused.'

The chief state counsel, Anisul Huq, replied the defense had not made any new point on which the verdict could be reviewed.

'As the defense counsel failed to come up with any new grounds for the review, the petitions should be rejected,' Anis said.

The attorney general, Mahbubey Alam, argued all the grounds presented by defense for the review were old and had already been addressed in the verdict.

Over two days, the court heard Abdullah Al Mamun, counsel for convicts Bazlul Huda and AKM Mohiuddin [lancer], who argued among other points for commuting his clients' death sentences on the grounds of old age.

Abdur Rezzaque Khan, counsel for Sultan Shahriar Rashid Khan, said the death penalty was not appropriate as Shahriar had not taken part in the killing.

Quazi Golam Rasul, who was the Dhaka district, and session judge, on November 8, 1998 sentenced to death 15 out of the 20 accused of killing the country's founding President Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman and all but two of the family on August 15, 1975.

The High Court on December 14, 2000 delivered a split verdict in the case. Justice M Ruhul Amin, the senior judge of the High Court bench, upheld the death sentences of 10 convicts while the other judge, ABM Khairul Haque, retained the death sentences for all the 15.

Justice Mohammad Fazlul Karim in the final High Court verdict in the case on April 30, 2001 upheld death sentences for 12 and acquitted three.

On November 19, 2009, the five-member Appellate Division bench, chaired by Justice Tafazzul Islam, dismissed the appeals filed by the five condemned convicts against the High Court verdict that had upheld the death sentences of 12 army men, including the five, in the case. One of the five judges, Justice Abdul Aziz, retired in December 2009.

A source in Dhaka Central Jail told Weekly Blitz that, necessary preparations are already completed for the execution of the death sentence of the five former army officers, who are already inside the prison. It said, five coffins are also brought inside the prison to hand over dead bodies of the hanged officers to their relatives on execution of the order.

The source further indicated that the death sentence may be executed on Thursday or Friday late hours inside Dhaka Central Jail. Adequate number of police and members of other law enforcement agencies as well intelligence agencies are already deployed within the Dhaka Central Jail area in order to ensure proper security during the trial. Members of law enforcing agencies will also continue helicopter patrol during the execution of the order. It is even indicated by another source that Section 144 may be enforced within Dhaka Central Jail area from Thursday evening with the goal of averting any unexpected situation.

Close Circuit Television are already installed inside the Condemn Cell at Dhaka Central Jail, where all the five convicts are awaiting death sentence. A medical team is checking health of the convicts on a routine basis.

As the execution of the death sentence of the five convicts of the Bangabandhu murder case are very close, state minister Tanzim Ahmed Sohel is expected to return home on Wednesday afternoon after he spent eight months in United States. It may be mentioned here that, State Minister Sohel submitted resignation before he left for United States. But, his resignation was not accepted by the Prime Minister.

It may be further mentioned here that, Tanzim Ahmed Sohel father, Tajuddin Ahmed was also brutally murdered in 1975 inside Dhaka Central Jail, three months after the tragic murder of Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman. Same convicts who are now awaiting death sentence were also behind the brutal murder inside Dhaka Central Jail.

A source in the government indicates that after the execution of the death sentence of the five army men, who already are inside Dhaka Central Jail, Bangladesh government will initiate all out efforts in bringing back the remaining absconding figures, who are also awarded death sentence by Bangladeshi court.

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