UCA News
Contribute

Islamist party leader arrested for war crimes

Special tribunal accuses Mir Kashem Ali of running torture cell
Islamist party leader arrested for war crimes
Mir Kashem Ali (wearing black coat) is the eighth person charged with crimes against humanity during the 1971 liberation war of Bangladesh (www.bangla.irib.ir)
Published: June 18, 2012 09:23 AM GMT
Updated: June 18, 2012 12:46 PM GMT

Police yesterday arrested media heavyweight and senior figure in the Jamaat-e-Islami Party, Mir Kashem Ali, for alleged crimes against humanity during the 1971 Liberation War. Ali was arrested at the Dhaka office of Naya Digante, the newspaper which he owns, said Dhaka Metropolitan Police Commissioner Masudur Rahman, hours after International Crimes Tribunal-1 issued a special warrant. Prosecution lawyer Rana Dasgupta told the tribunal that Ali was a unit leader of Al Badar, a group created by Pakistan’s occupation army during the war, and the head of a torture cell in Bangladesh’s second-largest city Chittagong. Dasgupta said the warrant was issued amid fears Ali would flee the country, as was the case with another war crimes suspect, Abul Kalam Azad Bacchu. “Being a core leader with Jamaat, Mir Kashem Ali also led propaganda in the UK and Middle East countries to halt the ongoing war crimes trial,” Dasgupta told the tribunal. Ali is the eighth person to be arrested on war crimes charges since the special tribunal was established in March 2010. Six of those taken into custody are members of Jamaat, the largest Islamist party in the country and a political ally of the main opposition Bangladesh Nationalist Party. The other two defendants are from the BNP. Critics of the tribunal accuse the process of being politically motivated by the ruling Awami League while falling short of international standards of justice. The government has pledged to hold accountable those deemed to be responsible for atrocities during Bangladesh’s war of independence, which claimed the lives of as many as three million people.

Help UCA News to be independent
Dear reader,
Lent is the season during which catechumens make their final preparations to be welcomed into the Church.
Each year during Lent, UCA News presents the stories of people who will join the Church in proclaiming that Jesus Christ is their Lord. The stories of how women and men who will be baptized came to believe in Christ are inspirations for all of us as we prepare to celebrate the Church's chief feast.
Help us with your donations to bring such stories of faith that make a difference in the Church and society.
A small contribution of US$5 will support us continue our mission…
William J. Grimm
Publisher
UCA News
Asian Bishops
Latest News
UCA News Catholic Dioceses in Asia
UCA News Catholic Dioceses in Asia
UCA News Catholic Dioceses in Asia