Death warrants issued for five Mujib killers (Lead)
January 3rd, 2010 - 8:39 pm ICT by IANS Dhaka, Jan 3 (IANS) A Dhaka court Sunday issued death warrants against five former Bangladesh Army officers convicted for killing the country’s founding father Sheikh Mujibur Rahman 34 years ago.
District and Sessions Judge Mohammed Abdul Gafur issued the warrants after he received the final verdict of the Supreme Court, the Star Online web site of The Daily Star newspaper reported.
The death warrants were sent in a red envelope to the senior jail superintendent of Dhaka Central Jail, directing him to take necessary steps to execute the convicts - Lt. Col. Syed Farooq Rahman, Lt. Col. Sultan Shahriar Rashid Khan, Maj. Bazlul Huda, Maj. A.K.M. Mohiuddin Ahmed and Lt. Col. Mohiuddin Ahmed - between 21 and 28 days as per the jail code.
The appellate division of the supreme court Nov 19 upheld the death sentences earlier handed down by the high court to a dozen killers, including these five.
Rahman, the country’s first president, was killed along with a score of his family members, relations and political associates in a military-led putsch Aug 15, 1975.
Six of the convicts - Lt.Col. Khandaker Abdur Rashid, Lt.Col. Shariful Haque Dalim, Lt.Col. S.H.M.B. Nur Chowdhury, Lt.Col. A.M. Rashed Chowdhury, Capt Abdul Mazed and Risaldar Mosleuddin Khan - are still on the run, either hiding abroad or evading arrest.
Yet another convict, Lt.Col. Abdul Aziz Pasha, died in June 2001 in Zimbabwe, where he had sought political asylum.
Following confirmation of the assassins’ death sentences by the apex court, the government of Mujib’s daughter, Sheikh Hasina, has moved the governments in the US and Canada, where two of the fugitives are said to be hiding. Libya and Pakistan are two other countries where the fugitives are said to be living.
Sheikh Hasina and her son escaped the carnage as she was in London then.
Dhaka has ignored a plea by US-based human rights watchdog Amnesty International that the convicts be spared death sentence and instead be given life terms.
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- 1975 Dhaka killings: Government may appeal against accused - Jan 11, 2011
- Court issues death warrants for five Mujib killers - Jan 03, 2010
- Bangladesh hunts for Mujib killers on the run - Nov 20, 2009
- 12 to die for killing Bangladesh's founding father Mujib (Lead) - Nov 19, 2009
- Three Mujib killers on death row seek clemency (Lead) - Jan 09, 2010
- Bangladesh SC upholds death sentence for Mujib's killers - Jan 27, 2010
- Three Mujib killers on death row seek clemency - Jan 09, 2010
- Bangladesh seeks extradition of Mujib killers - Aug 16, 2010
- Bangladesh coup attempt foiled (Lead) - Jan 19, 2012
- Five-judge bench to resume trial in Sheikh Mujibur's murder - Oct 04, 2009
- Interpol red alert for Mujib killers - Dec 01, 2009
Tags: abdur rashid, apex court, appellate division, army officers, central jail, dalim, death sentences, death warrants, evading arrest, father sheikh, final verdict, gafur, human rights watchdog, mohiuddin ahmed, political asylum, rashed, rashid khan, red envelope, shahriar, sheikh hasina