Muhammad Kamaruzzaman

Last updated

Muhammad Kamaruzzaman
মুহাম্মদ কামারুজ্জামান
Muhammad Kamaruzzaman.jpg
Born(1952-07-04)4 July 1952
Sajbarkhila, East Bengal, Dominion of Pakistan
Died11 April 2015(2015-04-11) (aged 62)
Dhaka Central Jail, Dhaka, Bangladesh
Cause of death Execution by hanging
Alma mater Dhaka University (MA)
Occupation(s)Politician, journalist
Political party Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami
Criminal status Executed
SpouseNurun Nahar
Children6
Conviction(s) Crimes against humanity
Criminal penalty Death

Muhammad Kamaruzzaman (4 July 1952 – 11 April 2015) was a Bangladeshi politician and journalist who served as the senior assistant secretary general of Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami and was convicted of war crimes during the 1971 Liberation war of Bangladesh. [1] [2] He was executed by hanging at Dhaka Central Jail at 22:01 on 11 April 2015. [3]

Contents

Besides his political career, Kamaruzzaman also was the editor of the Weekly Sonar Bangla. [4] On 9 May 2013 the International Crimes Tribunal sentenced him to death after it found Kamaruzzaman guilty of crimes against humanity including genocide, killing, rape, looting, arson, and deportation of people during the Bangladesh Liberation War. [5] Kamaruzzaman denied all charges, stating they were politically motivated. [6] [7] The trial itself was criticized by international observers and opposition figures and was mired in controversies. [8] [9]

Early life

Kamaruzzaman was born on 4 July 1952, at Sajbarkhila village in Sherpur Thana, Bangladesh (at the time East Bengal, Dominion of Pakistan). His father Moulavi Insan Ali Sarker, was a businessman. Kamaruzzaman obtained a master's degree in journalism in 1976 from Dhaka University. He had five sons. He was married to Nurun Nahar. [5]

Political career

In 1971

In 1971, Kamruzzaman was a college student. [7] He is also alleged to be member of the Islami Chattra Sangha in Mymensingh. [1] [10] [11] [12] [13] He was the chief organizer of the Al-Badr, a paramilitary force formed to assist the Pakistan army to thwart the Bangladesh independence movement in 1971, of greater Mymensingh region. [1] [10] [11] [12] [13] [14] According to the Daily Sangram on 16 August 1971, Muhammad Kamruzzaman presided over a rally held at the local Muslim Institute in Mymensingh by the Al-Badr to mark the 25th independence day of Pakistan. [14] [15]

Post-independence

Kamaruzzaman was a two-time President of Islami Chhatra Shibir the student wing of Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami. [13] [16] He became a journalist at the weekly Sonar Bangla in 1981, [17] later taking the role of editor. [4] He also worked for The Daily Sangram as executive editor. [5]

In four successive elections between 1991 and 2008 Kamaruzzaman unsuccessfully contested the seat Sherpur-1 for Jamaat-e-Islami, losing the last three times to the Awami League candidate Md. Atiur Rahman Atik. [18]

War crimes trial

Kamuruzzaman was initially arrested on 13 July 2010 and detained for over a year without being formally informed of charges. In November 2011 the United Nations Working Group on Arbitrary Detention adopted the opinion that the detention was disproportional and breached human rights conventions. [19] Kamaruzzaman, along with nine other senior members from Jamaat-e-Islami, [6] was charged on seven counts of crimes against humanity during the Bangladesh Liberation War in 1971, including genocide, killing, rape, looting, arson and deportation of unarmed civilians. He denied all charges, saying they were politically motivated. [7] [20]

Charges

Kamaruzzaman was charged with the following war crimes: [5]

Conviction and execution

The final arguments of the trial closed on 14 April 2013. [21] On 9 May 2013 the International Crimes Tribunal found him guilty on five out of the seven counts, including torture, genocide, killing, rape, looting, arson, and deportation of unarmed civilians during the 1971 Liberation war of Bangladesh and sentenced him to death by hanging on two of the charges. [1] [22] [23] [24] Kamaruzzaman denied the charges saying the trial was politically motivated and appealed the verdict in the Supreme Court. [6] During the trial, Kamaruzzman had outbursts of anger and commented: "There is no instance in history that a higher secondary student has been tried for crimes against humanity." [7] The court upheld the death sentence on the charge of the Shohagpur genocide. He filed a review petition which was dismissed by the appellate division of the Supreme Court. [25]

Kamaruzzaman was executed on 11 April 2015 in Dhaka Central jail. [3]

Controversies

Though the government and ICT have stated that justice was the priority, opposition parties Jamaat-e-Islami and the BNP accused the prime minister Sheikh Hasina of using the tribunal to persecute them. [26] Human Rights Watch called the trial "seriously flawed". [9]

2012 Skype controversy

In December 2012, conversations and emails between the judge and a Brussels-based lawyer were published, which according to The Economist revealed that the government wanted a quick verdict from the International Crimes Tribunal. [27] In response, an application was submitted on behalf of Kamaruzzaman for a retrial, which was rejected. [28] Following the revelations, the controversial chief Justice Nizamul Huq resigned from the post and Fazle Kabir was appointed there. [8]

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ghulam Azam</span> Bangladeshi politician

Ghulam Azam was a Bangladeshi Islamist politician. He was the former leader of Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami, the largest Islamist political party in Bangladesh.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Motiur Rahman Nizami</span> Bangladeshi politician

Motiur Rahman Nizami was a politician, former Minister of Bangladesh, Islamic scholar, writer, and the former leader of the Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami. He is noted for leading the terror squad Al-Badr during the Bangladesh Liberation War. On 29 October 2014, he was convicted of masterminding the Demra massacre by the International Crimes Tribunal of Bangladesh. Nizami was the Member of Parliament for the Pabna-1 constituency from 1991 to 1996 and again from 2001 to 2006. He also served as the Bangladeshi Minister of Agriculture and Minister of Industry.

The Razakar was an East Pakistani paramilitary force organised by General Tikka Khan in then East Pakistan, now called Bangladesh, during the Bangladesh Liberation War in 1971. The force committed war crimes during the war including massacring civilians, looting, and rape.

The Al-Badr was a paramilitary force composed mainly of Bihari Muslims which operated in East Pakistan against the Bengali nationalist movement during the Bangladesh Liberation War, under the patronage of the Pakistani government.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ali Ahsan Mohammad Mojaheed</span> Bangladeshi politician (1948–2015)

Ali Ahsan Mohammad Mojaheed was a Bangladeshi politician who served as a Member of Parliament and as the Minister of Social Welfare from 2001 to 2007. He was executed in 2015 for war crimes committed during the 1971 Liberation war of Bangladesh.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Shahriar Kabir</span> Bangladeshi journalist, filmmaker and human rights activist

Shahriyar Kabir is a Bangladeshi journalist, filmmaker, human rights activist, and author of more than 70 books focusing on human rights, communism, fundamentalism, history, and the Bangladesh war of independence. He was awarded Bangla Academy Literary Award in 1995.

<i>Daily Naya Diganta</i> Bangladeshi daily newspaper

The Daily Naya Diganta is a Bengali daily newspaper published in Bangladesh since 2004.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami</span> Bangladeshi Islamist political party (founded 1975)

Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami, previously known as Jamaat-e-Islami Bangladesh, or Jamaat for short, is the largest Islamist political party in Bangladesh. On 1 August 2013, the Bangladesh Supreme Court cancelled the registration of the Jamaat-e-Islami, ruling that the party is unfit to contest national elections.

Chowdhury Mueen-Uddin, is a British citizen convicted of war crimes committed during the Bangladesh Liberation War which involved the murder of Bengali intellectuals in collaboration with the Pakistan Army. After the liberation of Bangladesh, Chowdhury escaped from Bangladesh and attained British citizenship. Bangladesh has yet to file a request with the UK government to bring back Mueen, and the two countries do not have any extradition treaty signed between them.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">International Crimes Tribunal (Bangladesh)</span> Domestic war crimes tribunal

The International Crimes Tribunal (Bangladesh) (ICT of Bangladesh) is a domestic war crimes tribunal in Bangladesh set up in 2009 to investigate and prosecute suspects for the genocide committed in 1971 by the Pakistan Army and their local collaborators, Razakars, Al-Badr and Al-Shams during the Bangladesh Liberation War. During the 2008 general election, the Awami League (AL) pledged to try war criminals. The government set up the tribunal after the Awami League won the general election in December 2008 with a more than two-thirds majority in parliament.

Abul Kalam Azad was a former Bangladeshi politician of the Jamaat-e-Islami, televangelist and convicted war criminal of the Bangladesh liberation war.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Abdul Quader Mollah</span> A convicted war criminal and Islamist politician from Bangladesh.

Abdul Quader Mollah was a Bangladeshi Islamist leader, writer, and politician of the Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami, who was convicted of war crimes and sentenced to death by the International Crimes Tribunal, Bangladesh (ICT) set up by the government of Bangladesh and hanged. The United Nations raised objections to the trial's fairness, while the general public in Bangladesh widely supported the execution.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2013 Shahbag protests</span> Shahbag Protests (movement) in 2013

On 5 February 2013, protests ignited in Shahbagh, Bangladesh, fueled by the call for the execution of the convicted war criminal and Islamist Abdul Quader Mollah. Previously sentenced to life imprisonment, Mollah was convicted on five of six counts of war crimes by the International Crimes Tribunal of Bangladesh. Mollah supported the West Pakistan during the 1971 Bangladesh Liberation War and played a crucial role in the murder of numerous Bengali nationalists and intellectuals. The demonstrations also sought the government's ban on the radical right-wing and conservative-Islamist group, Jamaat-e-Islami from participating in politics, including elections, and a boycott of institutions supporting or affiliated with the group.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2013 Bangladesh anti-Hindu violence</span> Anti-Hindu violence in Bangladesh

On 28 February 2013, the International Crimes Tribunal sentenced Delwar Hossain Sayeedi, the vice-president of the Jamaat-e-Islami to death for war crimes committed during the 1971 Bangladesh Liberation War. Following the sentence, activists of Jamaat-e-Islami and its student wing Islami Chhatra Shibir attacked Hindus in different parts of the country. Hindu properties were looted, Hindu houses were burnt into ashes and Hindu temples were desecrated and set on fire. While the government has held the Jamaat-e-Islami responsible for the attacks on minorities, the Jamaat-e-Islami leadership has denied any involvement. Minority leaders have protested the attacks and appealed for justice. The Supreme Court of Bangladesh has directed law enforcement to start suo motu investigation into the attacks. The US Ambassador to Bangladesh expressed concern about attacks by Jamaat on the Bengali Hindu community.

2013 Bangladesh violence refers to the political instability, increase in crime and widespread attacks of minorities and opposition activists.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Movement demanding trial of war criminals (Bangladesh)</span>

The movement demanding trial of war criminals is a protest movement in Bangladesh, from 1972 to present demanding trial of the perpetrators of 1971 Bangladesh genocide during the Bangladesh Liberation War from Pakistan.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mir Quasem Ali</span> Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami politician

Mir Quasem Ali was a Bangladeshi businessman, philanthropist and politician. He was a former director of Islami Bank, and chairman of the Diganta Media Corporation, which owns Diganta TV. He founded the Ibn Sina Trust and was a key figure in the establishment of the NGO Rabita al-Alam al-Islami. He was considered to be the wealthiest member of the Bangladeshi political party Jamaat-e-Islami. He was sentenced to death on 2 November 2014 for crimes against humanity committed during the Liberation War of Bangladesh in 1971 by International Crimes Tribunal of Bangladesh. The charges were denied by his relatives, stating they were politically motivated. Rights groups also raised concerns about these cases, with Amnesty International criticising the use of the death penalty and saying Mir Quasem Ali's trial had been unfair. He was hanged at Gazipur on 3 September 2016 after his final appeal was rejected by the Supreme Court of Bangladesh.

Khondakar Abu Taleb (1921-1971) was a Bangladeshi journalist who was killed by Pakistani Army in the Bangladesh Liberation and is considered a "martyr" in Bangladesh.

The Sohagpur massacre was a mass killing of 187 civilians on 25 July 1971 in the Mymensingh District of East Pakistan during the Liberation War. The massacre was perpetrated by the Pakistan Army and Al-Badr, a paramilitary force opposing Bangladeshi independence. Following the massacre, Sohagpur became known as the "village of widows."

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 "Kamaruzzaman to hang". bdnews24.com. 9 May 2013.
  2. ↑ মানবতাবিরোধী অপরাধ : কামারুজ্জামানের মামলার রায় যে কোন দিন [Crimes against humanity: The verdict of Kamaruzzaman's case any day now]. Amar Desh (in Bengali). 17 April 2013. Archived from the original on 19 April 2013. Retrieved 19 April 2013.
  3. 1 2 Mahbub, Sumon; Haider, Liton (11 April 2015). "Bangladesh hangs Islamist leader Kamaruzzaman for war crimes 'worse than Nazis'". bdnews24.com.
  4. 1 2 "Weekly Sonar Bangla" . Retrieved 9 May 2013.
  5. 1 2 3 4 "Kamaruzzaman: The Charges". bdnews24.com. 9 May 2013.
  6. 1 2 3 "Bangladesh's Kamaruzzaman sentenced to death". BBC News. 9 May 2013. Retrieved 9 May 2013.
  7. 1 2 3 4 Manik, Julfikar Ali (5 June 2012). "No trial if I had joined AL". The Daily Star (Bangladesh) . Retrieved 23 November 2016.
  8. 1 2 "Justice ATM Fazle Kabir to head ICT-1". The Daily Ittefaq . 1 December 2012. Retrieved 12 April 2015.
  9. 1 2 Khan, Mozammel H. (12 April 2015). "The debate over war crimes trials: Is there any merit?". The Daily Star . Retrieved 6 August 2016.
  10. 1 2 "Bangladesh Jamaat leader sentenced to death". Al Jazeera. 9 May 2013.
  11. 1 2 "Kamaruzzaman led Razakar, Al-Badr and Al-Shams: witness". New Age. 3 August 2012. Archived from the original on 27 January 2016.
  12. 1 2 Adhikary, Tuhin Shubhra (10 May 2013). "Key man of Al-Badr". The Daily Star.
  13. 1 2 3 "Profile of Kamaruzzaman". bdnews24.com. 9 May 2013. Archived from the original on 10 June 2013. Retrieved 9 May 2013.
  14. 1 2 The Daily Sangram, 16 August 1971. Cited in Ekattorer Ghatok Dalalera ke kothay, edited by Ahmed Sharif, Kazi Nuruzzaman and Shahriar Kabir, 4th edition published February 1989, pages 111 & 112. Photo on page 111.
  15. ↑ "Kamaruzzaman was kingpin". The Daily Star. 29 January 2013.
  16. ↑ Jamaat e Islami Website
  17. ↑ Manik, Julfikar Ali (4 November 2014). "For the war criminal, being a journalist was a privilege". Dhaka Tribune. Retrieved 2 September 2020.
  18. ↑ Bangladesh Election Commission (2012). পরিসংখ্যান প্রতিবেদন: ৯ম জাতীয় সংসদ নির্বাচন[Statistics report: Ninth Jatiya Sangshad Election] (in Bengali).
  19. ↑ "Opinion No. 66/2011" (PDF). United Nations Working Group on Arbitrary Detention. 23 November 2011. Retrieved 9 May 2013.
  20. ↑ "Closing arguments against Kamaruzzaman starts Sunday". The Daily Star . 21 March 2013.
  21. ↑ একটি অভিযোগেও কামারুজ্জামানকে শাস্তি দেয়ার মতো উপাদান নেই [Not one allegation has the substance to warrant punishment]. Weekly Sonar Bangla (in Bengali). 19 April 2013. Retrieved 9 May 2013.
  22. ↑ Khan, Kamrul Hasan (9 May 2013). "Bangladesh Islamist sentenced to hang for war genocide". Yahoo! News Singapore. Agence France-Presse.
  23. ↑ "Full Verdict of Kamaruzzaman". Dhaka Star.
  24. ↑ "3rd Jamaat leader to hang for war crimes". The Times of India.
  25. ↑ "Review petition rejected: Kamaruzzaman's death sentence upheld". The Daily Observer. 6 April 2015.
  26. ↑ Quadir, Serajul (8 May 2013). "Bangladesh braces for unrest as judges prepare war crime verdict". Reuters . Retrieved 9 May 2013.
  27. ↑ "The trial of the birth of a nation". The Economist. 15 December 2012. Retrieved 16 April 2013.
  28. ↑ স্কাইপ কেলেঙ্কারি : মাওলানা সাঈদীর বিরুদ্ধে ফের যুক্তি উপস্থাপন হচ্ছে আজ [Skype scandal: Fair arguments against Maulana Sayeedi are now being presented]. Amar Desh (in Bengali). Archived from the original on 26 March 2013. Retrieved 16 April 2013.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.