'Butcher of Mirpur' hanged

Abdul Quader Molla was the first to walk the gallows for war crimes committed during the 1971 Liberation War.

He was hanged on Thursday night after high drama, having earned a brief reprieve from court just hours before execution two days ago.

A member of the notorious Al-Badr militia during the 1971 war, Molla was given the moniker ‘butcher of Mirpur’ for committing large-scale massacres of pro-independence activists in Dhaka’s Mirpur.

This is the first execution of a war criminal in Bangladesh 42 years after the genocide.

Human rights organisaitons including the UN Human Rights Commission had been asking for a stop to the execution after Molla’s hanging was halted two days ago at the order of a Chamber Justice.

The government did not make any announcement after the apex court rejected a review petition on Molla’s death sentence on Thursday but all preparations indicated that the process of execution had begun.

Family members of the 65-year-old Jamaat-e-islami leader met him for the last time on Thursday evening. Then a religious priest, civil surgeon and the Dhaka jailor entered the jail.

All these and the security blanket created the similar ambience of Tuesday that saw an eleventh hour twist to stop Molla’s looming execution.

The execution was conducted by a six-strong team of executioners headed by executioner Shahjahan at 10:01pm, sources inside the prison told bdnews24.com.

The Ganajagran Mancha in Shahbagh erupted in joy after the execution. The movement of the Ganajagaran Mancha had paved the way for creating an equal opportunity for both prosecution and the defence to appeal.

The International Crimes Tribunals Act was amended to add provisions to allow both sides to appeal. It was an appeal empowered by the amended law led Molla’s verdict to be enhanced to death penalty on Sep 17 from his earlier life sentence.

Freedom fighters and people across the country and many others on social media joyously celebrated the news of the first execution of a war criminal.

However, Molla’s party Jamaat-e-Islami has called the execution a “political murder” and taken a vow to avenge “every drop” of his blood.

It called a day-long nationwide shutdown on Sunday, one day ahead of the Victory Day.

Jamaat activists went into rampage across the country. They resorted to vandalism and arson in several places and attacked Awami League activists.

An Awami League leader was beaten to death in Satkhira.

Earlier at 11:14pm on Thursday an ambulance carrying Molla’s body came out of the Dhaka Central Jail gates. The body was then taken to Molla’s ancestral home in Faridpur with the escort of police and Border Guard Bangladesh and RAB.

He was laid to rest at the family graveyard at Amirabad village around 4:20am on Friday after funeral prayers.

The 65-year-old Jamaat Assistant Secretary General was arrested on July 13, 2010 in a case filed with Pallabi police in 2008 for his role in committing war-time atrocities.

The infamous killer of 1971 survived the gallows literally at the last minute on Tuesday
due to an order from a chamber judge even after the full legal process was exhausted.

The apex court rejected petitions to review its verdict soon after Thursday noon after two days of hearing. Molla was hanged by the noose before the end of the day.

Prosecution brought charges of murder, rape and arson against the Jamaat leader based on probe findings submitted on Nov 1, 2011.

The war crimes tribunal took cognisance of the charges against Molla on Dec 28.

The International Crimes Tribunal-1, set up to try crimes against humanity during 1971, sentenced him to life in prison on Feb 5.

The prosecution then had no right to appeal. The verdict however stirred an immense uproar among youths and people from all walks of life who considered it too lenient.

The International Crimes Tribunals Act was amended to add provisions to allow both sides to appeal. Molla’s verdict was enhanced to death penalty on Sep 17 following an appeal under the amended law.

The tribunal had given death penalty to former Jamaat member Abul Kalam Azad alias Bachchu Razakar before Molla. But the sentence is yet to be executed as Azad is absconding.

One of the collaborators, Chikon Ali, was awarded the death penalty after the Liberation War, but he was acquitted and released from jail during Gen Ziaur Rahman's regime.

A court was instituted after Bangladesh was liberated to try the collaborators of Pakistani army, but the initiative hit the wall after founding father Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman was assassinated on Aug 15, 1975.

Mass protests began after Jamaat declared Ghulam Azam as its chief on Dec 29, 1991. The protests later turned into a movement in demand for trials of all the war criminals.

On Jan 19, 1992, the 101-strong Ekattorer Ghatok Dalal Nirmul Committee was formed with Jahanara Imam as its Convenor.

Imam’s diary of the Liberation War days and her freedom fighter son Rumi’s death at the hands of Pakistan Army had caught the imagination of the nation.

This committee on Mar 26, 1992 started Ghulam Azam's symbolic trial in a 'People's Court' in Dhaka's Suhrawardy Udyan.

The Jamaat guru is currently serving 90 years in jail for his crimes against humanity during the war.

Jamaat Secretary General Ali Ahsan Mohammad Mujaheed had caused uproar in 2007 when he said 'there are no war criminals in the country'.

"There were never any war criminals in Bangladesh and there aren't any now," Mujaheed had said on Oct 25, 2007, after a meeting with the Election Commission on behalf of Jamaat when an army-backed caretaker government was at the helm.

After that, the Sector Commanders’ Forum, a war veterans’ platform, emerged.

Ekattorer Ghatok Dalal Nirmul Committee joined their cause demanding trial of the war crimes. The issue was included in Awami League's poll pledges ahead of the 2008 general election.

The youth responded warmly to Awami League's pledge. The Grand Alliance it leads came to power with a landslide victory.

The government formed the International Crimes Tribunal on Mar 25, 2010 to begin war crimes trials.

The three-strong ICT was formed with Justice Nizamul Huq at the helm along with the prosecution and investigation agency.

A second war crimes tribunal was also set up about two years later to expedite the war crimes trials.

The two tribunals have given nine verdicts so far. Of them, seven carried the capital punishment. One of the verdicts gave out a 90-year jail sentence — to Ghulam Azam — and another verdict sentenced Abdul Alim to prison till death.

Of the convicts, three are on the run.