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Abdul Quader Molla
[PHOTO SOURCE: http://www.hinduhumanrights.info/bangladesh-executes-top-islamist-leader-abdul-quader-molla-for-war-crimes/]
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Abdul Quader Molla (Bengali: আব্দুল কাদের মোল্লা; 14 August 1948 – 12 December 2013)
was a Bangladeshi Islamist leader, war criminal and politician of the Bangladesh
Jamaat-e-Islami, who was tried and sentenced to death by the International
Crimes Tribunal, Bangladesh set up by the government of Bangladesh
and hanged. There were objections from the UN, the governments of several
countries, and international Human rights organizations on one hand and widespread support from the
general people of Bangladesh for the execution on the other hand.
He
was convicted on five of six counts of crimes against
humanity and war crimes at his
trial at the Bangladeshi
International Crimes Tribunal (ICT), on 5 February 2013. A member of
the Al-Badar militia during the liberation war,
Molla was convicted of killing 344 civilians and other crimes. He was sentenced
to life in prison. As a direct result of the sentence the 2013 Shahbag protests began with the protesters demanding capital punishment for all
those on trial. The protest spread from Dhaka to other parts of the country.
Protesters called for those convicted of war crimes to be sentenced to capital
punishment, and also to ban Jamaat-e-Islami. Jamaat-e-Islami started a violent
counter-protest in the country, demanding the release of its convicted and
accused leaders. On 17 September 2013, after an amendment to the ICT law which
allowed the government, complainant, or informant to appeal an order of
acquittal or order of sentencing, the Bangladesh
Supreme Court found Molla guilty of murders and other war crimes,
and converted his life sentence to a death sentence. He was scheduled to be executed
by hanging on 11 December. Due to more legal challenges, the
execution was suspended and then upheld; he was executed on 12 December. He was
the first person to have been executed for crimes committed during the Bangladesh
Liberation War.
Quader
Molla had unsuccessfully stood for parliament in 1986
and 1996,
contesting the seat Faridpur-4 for Jamaat-e-Islami.
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