Bangladesh executes 2 opposition leaders convicted of war crimes during 1971

While the other three were members of the largest Islamist party, Jamaat-e-Islami, Chowdhury was a senior figure in the main opposition Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP).

He was the senior-most leader of the opposition Bangladesh Nationalist Party to be sentenced for crimes against humanity.

Rajib Sen Prince was taken to the hospital with bullet wound on his left leg, said Dr Rajib, an on-duty doctor at Chittagong Medical College Hospital’s emergency section.

Chowdhury, 66, was convicted for atrocities such as genocide during the 1971 war when the then East Pakistan split from Islamabad.

Mujahid was the secretary-general of Jamaat-e-Islami.

With Sunday’s execution, Bangladesh has hanged a total of four war crimes convicts so far.

As soon as the review petitions of Mujahid and Chowdhury were rejected Wednesday, several global groups made appeals to Bangladesh not to go ahead with the executions.

In a statement on Sunday the foreign office spokesman, Qazi Khalilullah reminded Bangladesh government of 1974 treaty in which India, Pakistan and Bangladesh agreed to disperse the situation by reconcile matters related to 1971 war in Bangladesh.

Freelance journalist Julfikar Ali Manik echoed Kabir and said that Hasina’s stand was commendable as the country was facing challenges similar to the ones it had faced during the 1971 war, when forces opposing the freedom of Bangladesh had driven a wedge among the people in the name of religion.

He also said that Bangladeshi government was taking revenge from political opponents and asked Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif to condemn execution of JI leaders in Bangladesh, which had perturbed the entire nation.

The convictions triggered Bangladesh’s deadliest violence since independence, with a few 500 people killed, mainly in clashes between Jamaat-e-Islami activists and police.

Salauddin Chowdhury was the son of Fazlul Quader Chowdhury, speaker of the National Assembly of undivided Pakistan in 1965 and had campaigned for a united Pakistan. He was accused of carrying out war crimes, including killing more than 200 civilians, mostly minority Hindus, during the independence war, according to evidence presented at the tribunal.

Bangladesh’s government has reiterated that the war crimes trials are necessary to bring murderers to justice.

Authorities say those arrested have either carried out or plotted firebombings and other attacks. Both opposition parties denied the allegation.

Such extremist violence was once rare in Bangladesh, which is mostly Muslim but has a strong secular tradition.