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Abdul Quader Molla [PHOTO SOURCE: http://www.hinduhumanrights.info/bangladesh-executes-top-islamist-leader-abdul-quader-molla-for-war-crimes/] |
Abdul Quader Molla (Bengali: আব্দুলকাদেরমোল্লা; 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-Badarmilitia 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 protestsbegan 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 1986and 1996, contesting the seat Faridpur-4 for Jamaat-e-Islami.