Bangladesh
War Crimes Jamaat leader Khaleq Mandal sentenced to death for war crimes
Dhaka, March 24: Satkhira district Jamaat chief and former MP Abdul Khaleq Mandal and two others have been sentenced to death by a tribunal for crimes against humanity. A three-member bench headed by Justice Md Shahinur Islam, chairman of the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia, handed down the verdict on Thursday (March 24th).
Another convict sentenced to death was Khan Roknuzzaman. He is on the run. Earlier, the day was set for the announcement of the verdict on March 22.
Prosecutors Mokhlesur Rahman Badal and Rezia Sultana Chaman represented the state in the court. Advocates Abdus Subhan Tarafdar and Gazi MH Tamim represented the accused.
After hearing the cases of two people including Abdul Khaleq Mandal in the case of crimes against humanity on November 11 last year, they were kept waiting for the verdict to be announced. The trial of the case started on April 15, 2018 with introductory speech and testimony.
It is learned that a formal complaint was lodged in the case on March 19, 2017. There were four accused in the case then. Among them Khaleq Mandal is imprisoned. The other two died. Khan Roknuzzaman is still at large.
The prosecution charged the accused with crimes against humanity including murder, rape, detention and torture. Among them, six have been charged with murder, two with rape and 14 with physical abuse.
Police arrested Abdul Khaleq Mandal on the charge of holding a secret meeting with some associates for sabotage at Khalilnagar Women's Madrasa in Satkhira Sadar Upazila on the morning of June 16, 2015. On August 25 of that year, the tribunal arrested Khaleq Mandal in connection with the murder of Shaheed Mostafa Gazi, one of the three cases of crimes against humanity filed in Satkhira.
Nazrul Islam Gazi, son of martyr Rustam Ali, filed the case against Khaleq Mandal on July 2, 2009 for killing five people including Rustam Ali of Shimulbaria village. The investigation against the four accused in the case started on August 7, 2015. A total of 60 people, including witnesses from the seized list, were called as witnesses in the investigation.
