DHAKA: Bangladesh’s war crimes court yesterday indicted a Bangladesh-born British Muslim leader and a US citizen for their alleged role in the murder of intellectuals during the country’s 1971 liberation war.
Chowdhury Mueen-Uddin, who denies any wrongdoing, has held positions in a host of top Islamic organisations in his adopted homeland. He was a newspaper reporter in what was then East Pakistan when it broke away from West Pakistan.
He is accused of being a leading member of the notorious Al Badr militia and of the fundamentalist Jamaat-e-Islami political party, which fought for the country to remain part of Pakistan.
“The court has taken into cognisance the charges of war crimes against Chowdhury Mueen-Uddin and issued a warrant to arrest him,” International Crimes Tribunal registrar Nasiruddin Mahmud said.
Mueen-Uddin would face the death penalty if extradited and convicted.
State prosecutor Syed Haider Ali said that Mueen-Uddin “has been indicted for crimes against humanity and genocide”.
“The charges include the killing of the country’s top intellectuals during the 1971 war of liberation,” he added.
Another prosecutor, Ziad Al Malum, told AFP Mueen-Uddin faces a total of 16 charges, which include accusations of kidnapping and torture and the murder of 18 top university teachers, journalists and writers.
The court also indicted Ashrafuzzaman Khan, a United States citizen, on the same charges as Mueen-Uddin.
Prosecutor Ali said that Khan, a Dhaka University student leader who is believed now to be in New York, was “chief executor” for the Al Badr militia.
AFP
