Salahuddin Quader Chowdhury Explained

Salahuddin Quader Chowdhury
Native Name Lang:Bal kama
Office:Member of Parliament
Term Start:25 January 2009
Term End:24 January 2014
Predecessor:L. K. Siddiqi
Successor:Syed Nazibul Bashar Maizvandary
Constituency:Chittagong-2
Term Start1:19 March 1996
Term End1:27 October 2006
Predecessor1:Md Yousuf
Successor1:Moin Uddin Khan Badal
Constituency1:Chittagong-7
Term Start2:5 March 1991
Term End2:24 November 1995
Predecessor2:Ziauddin Ahmed Bablu
Successor2:Golam Akbar Khandaker
Constituency2:Chittagong-6
Term Start3:7 May 1986
Term End3:3 March 1988
Predecessor3:A. M. Zahiruddin Khan
Successor3:Ziauddin Ahmed Bablu
Constituency3:Chittagong-6
Term Start4:18 February 1979
Term End4:7 May 1986
Predecessor4:M. A. Manan
Successor4:Giasuddin Quader Chowdhury
Constituency4:Chittagong-7
Office5:Minister of Housing and Public Works
President5:Hussain Muhammad Ershad
Primeminister5:Ataur Rahman Khan
Successor5:K.M. Aminul Islam
Predecessor5:Abdul Mannan Siddique
Term Start5:25 May 1986
Term End5:9 July 1986
Alma Mater:[1]
Father:Fazlul Quader Chowdhury
Death Place:Old Dhaka Central Jail, Dhaka, Bangladesh
Death Cause:Execution by hanging
Birth Date:13 March 1949
Birth Place:Chittagong, East Bengal, Dominion of Pakistan
Party:Bangladesh Nationalist Party
Resting Place:Raozan Upazila, Chittagong
Spouse:Farhat Quader Chowdhury
Relatives:The Chowdhury family of Chittagong
Nationality:Bangladeshi

Salahuddin Quader Chowdhury (13 March 1949 – 22 November 2015) was a Bangladeshi politician, minister and six-term member of Jatiya Sangsad and member of the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) Standing Committee, who served as the adviser of parliamentary affairs to Prime Minister Khaleda Zia in from 2001 to 2006.[2] On 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] However, limitations placed on his defense testimony were called "disturbing" and the trial called politically motivated.

He was executed by hanging in Old Dhaka Central Jail on 22 November 2015.

Early life

Chowdhury was born on 13 March 1949 in Gahira village.[5] He was from a political family of Raozan Upazila in erstwhile East 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. He was the eldest among the six siblings. He received his education from the boarding school, Sadiq Public School at Bahawalpur, Pakistan.

Political career

Chowdhury was a member of the Bangladesh Parliament[6] and of the standing committee of Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP).[7]

Chowdhury was a seven-term Member of Parliament, generally representing Rangunia and/or Boalkhali Upazilas, starting with constituency Chittagong-7 in 1979. He was elected for Chittagong-6 in 1986 and 1991.[8] He was elected for Chittagong-7 again in 1996, and re-elected in 2001.[9] His final term, to which he was elected in 2008, was for Chittagong-2.

War crimes trial

Chowdhury was arrested 2011 from his "safe house" in Dhanmondi and questioned by the special branch of police,[10] where he was reportedly tortured.[11] The trial for his involvement in the 1971 Bangladesh genocide were due to begin in August 2011.[12]

War crime charges

Among the charges submitted against Chowdhury in the International Crimes Tribunal were:[13] [14]

  1. Abduction of 7 Hindus and killing 6 of them on 4–5 April 1971.[15]
  2. Accompanying Pakistan army at the time of killing Maddhya Gohira Hindu Parha in Raozan on 13 April 1971.[16]
  3. Killing Kundeshwari Oushadhalaya owner and social worker Nutan Chandra Singha 13 April 1971. His son testified at the trial.[17]
  4. Accompanying Pakistan army in the killing of 32 people, arson, looting and raping.
  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.[18]
  6. Combined attack with Pakistan army on Hindu populated Shakhapura village at Boalkhali and killing 76 people.

Trial

During Chowdhury's trial the prosecution summoned 41 witnesses to testify while four were called in his defense.[19] 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.[20] Affidavits stating that Chowdhury was in Pakistan and studying law at the University of Punjab at the time of the crimes were not considered.[19] Defense testimony from a former prime minister of Pakistan and a former American ambassador was not allowed by the court.[21]

Conviction

On 1 October 2013, the International Crimes Tribunal of Bangladesh sentenced Chowdhury to death by hanging for nine out of the 23 charges brought against him.[3] His party BNP argued that the trial is politically motivated.[22] On 18 November 2015, Bangladesh Supreme Court dismissed the appeal of Chowdhury, upholding the death sentence.[23] [24] According to jail officials, Chowdhury asked for mercy in a petition to the President of Bangladesh, but his appeal was rejected.[25] [26]

Execution

On 22 November 2015, at 12:45 in the morning, Chowdhury was executed by hanging at Dhaka Central Jail. Another convict, Ali Ahsan Mohammad Mojaheed, was also executed around the same time.[27] [28] [29] Law Minister Anisul Huq claimed that Chowdhury and Mojaheed submitted a plea for mercy, which Chowdhury's family denied.[30] Chowdhury was buried at his village home in Raozan Upazila, Chittagong on 22 November 2015.[31]

Personal life

Chowdhury was married to Farhat Quader Chowdhury. Farhat is the daughter of Alamgir Mohammad Adel (brother of Jahangir Mohammad Adel) and Laili Chowdhury (daughter of Lal Miah, zamindar of Faridpur). Their children include Farzin, Hummam (b. 1983) and Fazlul.[32] [33] [34] In August 2016, Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International alleged that Hummam was arrested on 4 August 2016, and disappeared. Amnesty says multiple credible sources place him at Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) headquarters in Dhaka on 12 August, but authorities have denied having him in custody.[35] Hummam returned home in March 2017. Hummam is married to the granddaughter of industrialist A. K. Khan.

Chowdhury's brother, Giasuddin Quader Chowdhury, was a member of parliament from Bangladesh Nationalist Party.[36] Other two brothers were Saifuddin and Jamaluddin.[32] Industrialist brothers Salman F Rahman and Sohel Rahman were their cousins.[32] On 3 January 2005, he met Sheikh Hasina and invited her to his son's, Fazlul, wedding.[37]

See also

Notes and References

  1. News: Bengali against executions of opposition leaders Imran Khan has sent a letter to the Prime Minister, Salah al-Din was evidence of innocence . News Time . 24 November 2015 . 14 August 2016.
  2. News: Please spare his life, SQ Chy's family urges President . The Financial Express . Dhaka . 6 July 2007 . 20 April 2011.
  3. News: Bangladesh MP Salahuddin Quader Chowdhury to hang for war crimes . BBC News . 1 October 2013 . 1 October 2013.
  4. Book: Bartrop, Paul R. . 2012 . A Biographical Encyclopedia of Contemporary Genocide . ABC-CLIO . 374 . 978-0313386787.
  5. News: bn:ঔদ্ধত্যের আরেক নাম সাকাচৌ . http://bangla.bdnews24.com/bangladesh/article1003463.bdnews . bn . bdnews24.com.
  6. Web site: 9th Parliament MP List . Bangladesh Parliament . bn . https://web.archive.org/web/20090806195805/http://www.parliament.gov.bd/9th_Parliament_MP%20List.pdf . 6 August 2009 . 20 April 2011.
  7. Web site: Standing Committee . Bangladesh National Party (BNP) . 2017-02-11.
  8. News: SQ Chy feared Rangunia debacle . bdnews24.com . 5 September 2011 . https://web.archive.org/web/20121030102701/http://bdnews24.com/details.php?id=205095&cid=43 . 30 October 2012 . 18 September 2011.
  9. Web site: 8th Parliament MP List . Bangladesh Parliament . https://web.archive.org/web/20110430051455/http://www.parliament.gov.bd/M_P%20List-300.pdf . 30 April 2011 . 20 April 2011.
  10. News: SQ Chy being quizzed at this 'safe house' . Independent . Dhaka . 10 May 2011 . https://web.archive.org/web/20120524014404/http://www.theindependentbd.com/national/48980-sq-chy-at-safe-home.html . 24 May 2012 . 29 August 2011 .
  11. News: Klasra . Rauf . 19 December 2010 . Bitter past revived: Labelled traitor, an MP reminisces. The Express Tribune . 3 March 2016.
  12. News: SQ Chy's trial to begin in August: Quamrul . BD Inn . 14 July 2011 . https://web.archive.org/web/20131101073003/http://www.bdinn.com/news/sq-chy%E2%80%99s-trial-to-begin-in-august-quamrul/ . 1 November 2013 . 29 August 2011.
  13. News: Charges against SQ Chy . . 1 October 2013 . 1 October 2013 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20131001064124/http://www.dhakatribune.com/law-amp-rights/2013/oct/01/charges-against-sq-chy . 1 October 2013 . dmy-all .
  14. News: The charges against Salauddin Quader . . 1 October 2013 . 1 October 2013.
  15. News: Justice delayed, but not finally denied . The Daily Observer . Dhaka . 27 January 2016.
  16. News: Salauddin . The Daily Observer . Dhaka . 27 January 2016.
  17. News: Nutan Chandra's son testifies against SQ Chy . bdnews24.com . 27 January 2016.
  18. News: Son testifies on father's killing . The Daily Star . 27 January 2016.
  19. . Politics and death in Bangladesh: The noose tightens . Economist . 28 November 2015 . 15 December 2015 .
  20. News: Pennington . Matthew . 20 November 2015 . US criticism grows over Bangladesh war crimes tribunal . . 15 December 2015 .
  21. Web site: Farbstein . Susan . 13 November 2015 . Threat of Extrajudicial Executions Looms in Bangladesh . The Human Rights Program . Harvard Law . 15 December 2015 .
  22. News: Bangladesh sentences 7th opposition lawmaker to death . The Times of India . Reuters . 1 October 2013 . 1 October 2013.
  23. News: SC publishes full verdict on Salauddin, Mojaheed . Prothom Alo . 2015-11-20.
  24. News: Bangladesh Set to Hang Opposition Leaders Within Days . NDTV . 2015-11-20.
  25. News: Bangladesh president rejects mercy plea of 2 war criminals . . 2015-11-21.
  26. News: Bangladesh president rejects death-row mercy petitions . Economic Times . 21 November 2015.
  27. News: Habib . Haroon . Two top Bangladesh war criminals hanged . The Hindu . 22 November 2015 . 0971-751X . 2015-11-21.
  28. News: bn:সাকা-মুজাহিদের ফাঁসি কার্যকর . http://www.prothom-alo.com/bangladesh/article/690262/%25E0%25A6%25B8%25E0%25A6%25BE%25E0%25A6%2595%25E0%25A6%25BE-%25E0%25A6%25AE%25E0%25A7%2581%25E0%25A6%259C%25E0%25A6%25BE%25E0%25A6%25B9%25E0%25A6%25BF%25E0%25A6%25A6%25E0%25A7%2587%25E0%25A6%25B0-%25E0%25A6%25AB%25E0%25A6%25BE%25E0%25A6%2581%25E0%25A6%25B8%25E0%25A6%25BF-%25E0%25A6%2595%25E0%25A6%25BE%25E0%25A6%25B0%25E0%25A7%258D%25E0%25A6%25AF%25E0%25A6%2595%25E0%25A6%25B0 . Prothom Alo . bn . 2015-11-21.
  29. News: 22 November 2015 . B'desh on alert after execution of 2 Oppn leaders for war crimes . Hindustan Times . 2015-11-21.
  30. News: Barry . Ellen . 22 November 2015 . Bangladesh Hangs 2 Leaders Convicted of War Crimes. New York Times . 15 December 2015 .
  31. News: SQ Chy buried amid tight security . The Daily Star . 2015-11-22.
  32. Web site: Feuding SQ Chy family wanders in legal maze. The Daily Star. 2006-02-14. 2019-11-19.
  33. News: Verdict leak: HC asks SQ Chy's wife, son to surrender to lower cour . 2016-11-22 . The Daily Star . 2019-11-19.
  34. Web site: Bangladesh: Sons of convicted war criminals detained. www.aljazeera.com. 2019-11-19.
  35. News: Amnesty, HRW condemn 'detention' of SQ Chy, Mir Quasem's sons . . 15 August 2016 . 4 September 2016.
  36. News: Son of SQ Chy returns home after 7 months. 2017-03-04. The Daily Star. 2017-08-02. en.
  37. Web site: SQ Chy invites Hasina to son's wedding. 2021-04-08. archive.thedailystar.net. The Daily Star.