BANGLADESH: SIX MEMBERS OF 'RAZAKAR BAHINI' SENTENCED TO DEATH FOR CRIMES AGAINST HUMANITY DURING THE 1971 LIBERATION WAR

August 4, 2022:

Bangladesh's International Crimes Tribunal on 28 July 2022 sentenced six members of the paramilitary force 'Razakar Bahini' to death for collaborating with the Pakistani Army for "crimes against humanity" during the 1971 Liberation War.
The three-member tribunal headed by Justice Mohammad Shahinur Islam delivered the verdict.
“They shall be hanged by neck until their death,” Islam pronounced, with five of the convicts faced the trial in person, while one convict was tried in absentia.
The six accused include Amjad Hossain Howladar, Sahar Ali Sardar, Atiyar Rahman, Motachim Billah, Kamal Uddin Goldar, and Nazrul Islam. Of them, Nazrul Islam is absconding.
The convicts were present on the dock as the judgment was delivered after which they were brought to Dhaka Central Jail.
“All the six convicts were charged on four counts of crimes against humanity,” prosecution lawyer Mokhlesur Rahman told reporters.
The tribunal officials said the six convicted were members of the “Razakar Bahini,” an East Pakistani paramilitary force affiliated to the Pakistan Army.
All the six hailed from southwestern Khulna district, and carried out atrocities such as mass killings, arsons and tortures, the tribunal said.
The prosecution lawyers said they were satisfied with the verdict while the defence counsels said they planned to challenge the verdict at the apex Appellate Division of the Supreme Court after consultations with their clients.