Bangladesh executes opposition leader convicted of war crimes

Bangladesh has executed Abdul Quader Molla, an Islamist party leader convicted of war crimes in 1971, which is the first execution of a war criminal in the country. In protest against Molla’s execution, his party Jamaat called countrywide dawn-to-dusk general strike for Sunday.
The death sentence of the war crimes accused Molla, assistant secretary general of Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami Party, was executed hours after the Appellate Division dismissed his plea to review the Supreme Court verdict that confirmed the capital punishment on Sept. 17 this year.
The dismissal paved the way for executing the Jamaat leader who was finally hanged at 10:01 p.m. (local time) Thursday night.
A Dhaka Central Jail official who preferred to be unnamed said “it was at 10:01 p.m. local time when a relevant official dropped a handkerchief from his hand to give signal to the hangmen.”
Molla’s hanging came just three days before Bangladesh celebrates its 42nd Victory Day which falls on Dec. 16.
In his immediate reaction Mohammad Ali, conducting prosecutor at International Crimes Tribunal (ICT)-2, told reporters that “We’ re very happy in sight of the pro-liberation spirit and the values of 1971.”
Defense counsel Tajul Islam said, “I still believe Molla was innocent. I would just say history will judge this.”
Security measures have been beefed up in Dhaka and elsewhere in the country to avert any untoward situation.
Violence flares anew across Bangladesh after the country’s apex court Thursday rejected the review petition filed by the condemned war criminal who was all set to be executed until a dramatic last gasp intervention saved him from the gallows late on Tuesday.
A five-member bench of the Appellate Division headed by Chief Justice Md Muzammel Hossain passed the order, clearing the way for executing the war crimes accused Molla.
In its brief verdict, the Supreme Court said, “There is no scope to accept Molla’s review petition.”
Chief defense counsel Abdur Razzaq then said, “let us receive the full verdict. He can not be executed until the release of the full verdict. And we have time until Dec. 23 for filing mercy petition as per jail code.”
But Attorney General Mahbubey Alam said, “the jail code will not be applicable in case of Molla.” Xinhua