Mueen-Uddin's extradition unlikely

The UK government will not extradite Chowdhury Mueen-Uddin as he has been sentenced to death for involvement in massacre during the 1971 liberation war.

Since Bangladesh’s independence, war criminal Mueen, who hails from village Chandpur under Dagonbhuiyan Upazila in Feni district, has been living in London.

The International Crimes Tribunal that handed down his death penalty on Sunday along with his former war time Al Badr colleague Ashrafuzzaman Khan, now in USA, conducted the trial in absentia.

A British High Commission spokesperson in Dhaka in a statement on Sunday that they would consider any extradition request received from Bangladesh within the terms of the Extradition Act of 2003.

“But in line with this Act, the government (UK) will not order a person’s extradition to Bangladesh if he could be, will be or has been sentenced to death for the offence,” the spokesperson said.

Mueen is a UK citizen.

He did not appear before the court despite government’s notices in newspapers during their trials.

He, however, gave media interviews to high-profile organisations like Al Jazeera and is involved with many local organisations.

The two even did not appoint lawyers to defend them.

The government appointed lawyers for them.

Law Minister Shafique Ahmed promised that the government would make all out efforts to bring them back to face the death penalty.

“We hope the countries where they are staying will cooperate,” he said.

The UK earlier made clear its support for Bangladesh’s war crimes trial.

But along with other EU partners, it opposed death penalty in all circumstances.

The US embassy in Dhaka, however, did not give any statement on this issue on Sunday.

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