Bangladesh executes 2 opposition leaders
The men were convicted of crimes during the 1971 war of independence.
DHAKA, Bangladesh — Bangladesh has hanged two opposition leaders who were convicted of war crimes committed during the nation’s 1971 war of independence, authorities said Sunday.
Salauddin Quader Chowdhury of the Bangladesh Nationalist Party and Ali Ahsan Mohammad Mujahid of the Jamaat-e-Islami party, who were executed early Sunday, had been convicted in 2013 on charges that included crimes against humanity. Two other opposition leaders were previously executed on similar charges, Jamaat-e-Islami officials Muhammad Kamaruzzaman and Abdul Quader Mollah.
The executions Sunday were conducted after petitions for presidential clemency were rejected earlier in the day. The Supreme Court upheld the death sentences Wednesday.
The ruling led to calls for protests by Jamaat-e-Islami, and as the executions neared, security around Dhaka Central Jail and adjoining areas was heightened. In addition to increased policing, all shops and establishments around the jail area were ordered shut, and onlookers were asked to clear the area.
Bangladesh won independence from Pakistan in 1971 after a war that left several million people dead. More than a dozen people were eventually convicted of various charges by a controversial war crimes tribunal.
Jamaat-e-Islami worked against Bangladesh’s independence by collaborating with Pakistan and its military. Followers say the tribunal’s work and the punishment were politically motivated.