Bangladesh Islamist Abdul Kader Mullah hanged for 1971 war crimes

BANGLADESH - Islamist leader Abdul Kader Mullah of Bangladesh was executed on 12 December 2013. His execution was done at the Dhaka Central Jail at 22:01 local time. He was executed for genocides done during the Bangladesh’s 1971 liberation war with Pakistan. He was the first person convicted by Bangladesh's International Crimes Tribunal (ICT) and the first politician to be hanged for such crimes. He was the senior leader of the Jamaat-e-Islami party.

The International Crimes Tribunal (ICT) was set up in Bangladesh in 2010 to investigate on the abuses committed during the 1971 conflict. The prosecutors during his trial described him as the Butcher of Mirpur, the suburb of Dhaka where he has been alleged to carry out the crimes. He massacred unarmed civilians and killed intellectuals, who were supporting the independence from Pakistan.

Apart from Abdul Kader Mullah, four other leaders of Jamaat-e-Islami have been convicted by the ICT and will face the death penalty.

42 years ago in 1971 Bangladesh broke away from Pakistan after a war after the military intervention by India, in which many were killed and about 10 million people migrated as refugees.

Bangladesh International Crimes Tribunal (ICT)

The International Crimes Tribunal (ICT) is a war crimes tribunal in Bangladesh, which was set up by the Government in 2009. The ICT was formed to investigate and prosecute the suspects for the genocide committed in 1971 by the Pakistan Army and their local collaborators, during the Bangladesh Liberation War. During the 2008 general election, the Awami League (AL) when won the election with more than two-thirds majority in Parliament set up the tribunal. The first indictment was issued in 2010.