Salahuddin Quader Chowdhury

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Salahuddin Quader Chowdhury
File:Salahuddin Quader Chowdhury press conference 2010.jpg
Chowdhury at a 2010 press conference
Native name সালাউদ্দিন কাদের চৌধুরী
Born (1949-03-13)13 March 1949
Gahira village, Raozan Upazila, Chittagong, East Bengal
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Dhaka Central Jail, Dhaka, Bangladesh
Cause of death Execution by hanging
Resting place Raozan Upazila, Chittagong
Occupation Politician, former Minister
Title Member of Jatiyo Sangshad
Term 1979–1983, 1986–1987, 1988–1990, 1991–1995, 1996–2000, 2001–2005, 2008–2012
Political party Bangladesh Nationalist Party
Criminal charge 23 counts of charges including rape, torture and genocide.[1]
Criminal penalty Death penalty
Parent(s) Fazlul Quader Chowdhury

Salahuddin Quader Chowdhury (Bengali: সালাউদ্দিন কাদের চৌধুরী; 13 March 1949 – 22 November 2015) was convicted war criminal, former Bangladeshi politician, minister and seven-term member of parliament and member of the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) Standing Committee, who served as the adviser of parliamentary affairs to Prime Minister Khaleda Zia in 2001–06.[2] Despite concerns about the fairness of the proceedings, on 1 October 2013 he was convicted of 9 of 23 charges and sentenced to death by the International Crimes Tribunal of Bangladesh for crimes during the 1971 Bangladesh War of Independence.[3][4][5] He was put to death by hanging in Dhaka on 22 November 2015.[3]

Early life

Chowdhury was born on 13 March 1949 in Gahira Village.[6] He was from a political family of Raozan Upazila, Chittagong, Bangladesh. He received his education from the boarding school, Sadiq Public School at Bahawalpur, Pakistan. His father, Fazlul Quader Chowdhury, was a Speaker of Pakistan National Assembly and Acting President of Pakistan from time to time before the independence of Bangladesh.[7]

Political career

Chowdhury was a member of the Bangladesh Parliament.[8] He was a member of the standing committee of Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP).[9][not in citation given]

Chowdhury served as a member of parliament from Rangunia for seven terms, starting in 1979, and was re-elected in 1986, 1988, and 1991.[10] He was re-elected in 1996,[10] 2001[11] and finally in 2008.[8]

War crimes trial

He was arrested 2011 from his house to a "safe house" in Dhanmondi and questioned by the special branch of police,[12] where he was reportedly tortured.[13] The trial for his involvements in the 1971 Bangladesh genocide were due to begin in August 2011.[7]

War crime charges

Among the charges submitted against Chowdhury in the International Crimes Tribunal were:[14][15]

  1. Abduction of 7 Hindu minority and killing 6 of them on 4–5 April 1971.[16]
  2. Accompanying Pakistan army at the time of killing Maddhya Gohira Hindu Parha in Raozan on 13 April 1971.[17]
  3. Killing Kundeshwari Oushadhalaya owner and social worker Nutan Chandra Singha 13 April 1971. His son testified at the trial.[18]
  4. Accompanying Pakistan army in the killing of 32 people, arson, looting and raping.[19]
  5. Complicity in the killing of Satish Chandra Palit on 14 April, burning his house, and the deportation of his family. Satish's son testified in court against Salahuddin Quader.[20]
  6. Combined attack with Pakistan army to Hindu populated Shakhapura village at Boalkhali and killing 76 people.[21]

Trial

During Chowdhury's trial the prosecution summoned 41 witnesses to testify while four were called in his defense.[3] Commenting on the trial, the former United States Ambassador-at-Large for War Crimes Issues, Stephen Rapp, said that it was "disturbing" that limitations were placed on defense testimony.[22] Affidavits stating that Chowdhury was in Pakistan at the time of the crimes were not considered.[3] Defense testimony from a former Prime Minister of Pakistan and a former American Ambassador was not allowed by the court.[23]

Conviction

On 1 October 2013, International Crimes Tribunal sentenced Chowdhury to death by hanging for nine out of the 23 charges brought against him.[4] His party BNP argued that the trial is politically motivated.[24] On 18 November 2015, Bangladesh Supreme Court dismissed the appeal of Salahuddin, upholding the death sentence.[25][26] According to jail officials, Salahuddin asked for mercy in a petition to the President of Bangladesh, but his appeal was rejected.[27][28]

Death

On 22 November 2015, 12:45 AM Chowdhury was executed by hanging at Dhaka Central Jail alongside a former member of Parliament found guilty of atrocities, Ali Ahsan Mohammad Mojaheed.[29][30][31][32] Law Minister Anisul Huq claimed that Chowdhury and Mojaheed submitted a plea for mercy, which Chowdhury's family denied.[29] Chowdhury was buried at his village home in Raozan Upazila, Chittagong on 22 November 2015.[33]

References

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  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  5. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  6. ↑ http://bangla.bdnews24.com/bangladesh/article1003463.bdnews
  7. ↑ 7.0 7.1 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  8. ↑ 8.0 8.1 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  9. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  10. ↑ 10.0 10.1 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
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  32. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  33. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
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