Bangladesh party leader accused of war crimes in 1971 conflict

Delwar Hossain Sayeedi of Jamaat-e-Islami party charged with aiding Pakistan during war of independence A senior leader from Bangladesh’s largest Islamic party has been charged with war crimes for allegedly leading groups that took part in killing, looting, arson and rape of Bangladeshis during the country’s 1971 independence war against Pakistan. Bangladesh won independence from Pakistan that year – with help from India – after a nine-month war. A special tribunal has been up by the Bangladesh government to deal with charges of war crimes and crimes against humanity stemming from the war. The tribunal accepted 20 of 31 charges filed by the prosecution against Delwar Hossain Sayeedi of the Jamaat-e-Islami party, including those that he aided Pakistan. Bangladesh says Pakistani soldiers, aided by local collaborators, killed an estimated 3 million people, raped about 200,000 women and forced millions to flee their homes during the war. Sayeedi is accused of being involved in the killing of more than 50 people, torching villages, rape, looting and forcibly converting Hindus to Islam. He has denied the allegations. Sayeedi was arrested last year along with four other leaders of Jamaat-e-Islami who are accused of war crimes, including party chief Matiur Rahman Nizami. Sayeedi is the first to be indicted by the tribunal. Jamaat-e-Islami openly campaigned against breaking away from Pakistan during the war. The party says the charges against its leaders are politically motivated. Jamaat-e-Islami was a key partner in the 2001-2006 government headed by Khaleda Zia, the former prime minister and current opposition leader. Zia, the longtime political rival of the current prime minister, Sheikh Hasina, has called the tribunal a farce. The international community has called on the Bangladesh government to ensure that the tribunal is free and impartial. New York-based Human Rights Watch has called for changes to the tribunal, including allowing the accused to question its impartiality, which current law prohibits. Sayeedi’s trial is scheduled to begin on 30 October. Bangladesh Pakistan War crimes Human rights guardian.co.uk

Posted by on October 3, 2011. Filed under News, Politics, World News. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. You can skip to the end and leave a response. Pinging is currently not allowed.