HRDB NEWSLETTER

Human Rights and Development for Bangladesh Newsletter

1 March 2016

Bangladesh:

Pushing for Another Death Penalty

Following four executions so far, Bangladesh
keeps pushing for another death penalty for Mir
Quasem Ali, a key leader of Bangladesh's main
religious party, Jamaat-e-Islami.
The latest verdicts against for Mir Quasem Ali is no different.
The Supreme Court set March 8,
2016 for delivering verdict on the
appeal filed by war criminal and
Jamaat-e-Islami (BJI) leader Mir
Quasem Ali challenging his conviction.

International Human Rights groups that

have spoken out against the judicial
proceedings include Human Rights
Watch, Amnesty International, The International Center for Transitional Justice, the International Bar Association,
No Peace without Justice, the United
States Ambassador-at-Large for War
Previously, three other party leaders of Crimes Stephen Rapp, Members of the
United States Congress, Members of
BJI, Ali Ahsan M. Mujhid, Mr. Abdul
the British Government, Members of the
Quader Mollah and Mr. Muhammad
United Kingdom House of Lords and the
Kamaruzzaman, were executed in simi- Bar Human Rights Committee of Englar fashion. This occurred despite reland and Wales. The United Nations
Working Group on Arbitrary Detention
peated calls and diplomatic efforts, including from the U.S. Secretary of State has declared the process in breach of
international law, and has referred the
John Kerry, UN Secretary General Ban
matter to the UN Special Rapporteur on
Ki-moon, and Turkish President Recep Torture.
Tayyip Erdogan.

Turning a blind eye to the

injustices currently
happening in
Bangladesh
is no longer an option.
Stop Judicial Killings.
Protect all human rights.
Form an international Tribunal
under the auspices of the United
Nations to bring the real culprits
to justice rather than falsely implicating and incriminating leaders, scholars and personalities
from the opposition camp.
Above all stop the use of the
death penalty in all circumstances, even for the most serious
international crimes.

Death Sentence of Mir Quasem Ali:

A dark picture of misuse of

Judicial proceedings
Mir Quasem Ali (MQA) is the Chief Executive of the Diganta Media
Corporation Limited, the company which owns the Daily Naya Diganta
newspaper and thee TV station Diganta TV (DTV). He is a victim of
political vengeance of the ruling government in Bangladesh. Government in order to kill him has conspired to convict him through the false
accusation and cases of crime against humanity and false witnesses
given by party men guided by the blueprint design of the government.
The allegations brought against him are totally fabricated and staged
drama.
The International Crimes Tribunal No.1,
Dhaka on 17th June 2012 ordered arrest
of MQA for alleged offences allegedly
committed during the 1971 Bangladesh
War of Liberation. He was arrested from
the headquarters of the daily newspaper.
The Tribunal in its order issuing warrant
of arrest against MQA stated that "...he
had already made campaign against the
process of this Tribunal in Foreign countries...

media to report on the governments oppression on the opposition political parties. As a result on 6th May 2013 the government forcefully closed DTV. After 10
days i.e. on 16th May 2013 the prosecution pressed the Charges against MQA in
the Tribunal and 10 days thereafter i.e. on
26th May 2013 the Tribunal took cognizance of the alleged offences against
MQA allegedly committed in 1971.

What ara the various reasons

for Awami League to target a
popular leader like him:
he allegations against him?
1. Mir Quasem Ali is a leader of Jamaat-eIslami, the only political party in Bangladesh
with an honest leadership capable of
moving this country forward from the ruins
of corruption, poverty, and injustice.
2. Mir Quasem Ali represents the younger
generation of leaders within Jamaat-eIslami who are open to much needed reform
and reorganisation of the party around the
cultural synthesis of the people of Bangladesh.
3. Mir Quasem Ali is one of the few leaders
with a vision for Jamaat-e-Islami and Bangladesh. With his massive grassroots support
and his intellectual wherewithal, he is in a
perfect position to bring his vision to reality.
4. Mir Quasem Ali became an international
face of Jamaat-e-Islami due to his diplomatic connections around the world and in
Bangladesh. His understanding of the world
politics and ability to elegantly represent
Jamaat at the world stage was unparalleled.

Quasem was harassed before arrest

Although the Tribunal was supposed to
look into incidents of 1971, however as
evident from the order, the Tribunal was
inclined to order arrest for what Mir
Quasem Ali was doing in 2012.

Although arrested in June 2012, the government started harassing MQA since
2010 since his media houses had been
very critical to the government from very
beginning.

Muzzling the press:

Banned from traveling abroad
Although the Prosecution alleges that
MQA was involved in several crimes
committed in 1971, the arrest came after
the Daily Naya Diganta & Diganta TV
produced a number of critical reports
scrutinizing the actions of the current
government. In particular, the Naya Diganta newspaper exposed the legal
flaws in the investigations of the government-appointed War Crimes Tribunal,
which has been used to oppress the
opposition party leaders in the name of
trying allegations of crimes committed
during the 1971 Bangladesh War of
Liberation.
DTV also aired reports on fraud of the
Prosecution and the investigation agency of the International Crimes Tribunal.
This TV Station was the only electronic

On 25th March 2010, MQA travelled to

Saudi Arabia and United States for business purposes. On the same day, the
Bangladesh Government established the
International Crimes Tribunal. Few partisan media outlets started reporting that
MQA had fled the country. However, on
May 2010 he returned to Bangladesh.
Since then he has been prevented from
travelling outside the country.
Accounts Frozen
On 30th March 2010, while MQA was
travelling abroad, Bangladesh Bank froze
all the bank accounts of MQA and his
family members. No transactions are being allowed in those bank accounts till
date.

With Mir Quasem Ali out of the equation,

the Awami League assumed that, the
Jamaat-e-Islami will be a weaker political
force unable to cope with changing socio-political landscape.

What are the allegations

against him?
The tribunal found Ali guilty on 10 charges,
two of which carried a death sentence, including the abduction of a young man and
his killing in a torture cell. He was also sentenced to 72 years in prison on the other
charges. All the charges are related to war
of independence in 1971 when he was only
19 years old high school student.
The ruling party tried to bring false witnesses but even them could not bring evidence
against Mir Quasem Ali to show he was any
how involved personally with the alleged
tortures and murders.
The Prosecutors made no attempts to hide
the fact that they were after MQA mainly for
reasons NOT relating to atrocities committed in 1971.

The Prosecutor Zead-Al Malum submitted cution itself make it clear that Mir Quasem
in the Tribunal opposing prayer for bail had been staying in Dhaka from November 7
that:
and as general secretary of Islami Chhatra
Sangha he had participated in political proQuasem as the Treasurer of Jamaat-e- grammes, issued statements and addressed
Islami and director of all institution of Ja- rallies of students in different parts of Dhaka,
maat was involved in an international including at Baitul Mukarram area. His adcampaign against the Tribunal..
dresses and statements were published in
newspapers regularly from November 8 of
Being Treasurer of Jamaat is not a crime
1971.
against humanity and is not a ground
which can justify the order of arrest.
According to news published in Dainik Ittefaq,
International campaign is not an act of
crime nor does it comes with in the jurisdiction of the International Crimes Tribunal. All these shows that the real intentional and motive behind arrest and prosecution of MQA was to prevent him and his
media outlets from exposing the illegalities
of the Tribunal
Prosecutor Malum further stated that MQA
is influential with the Rohingyas and might
instigate unrest in that region. It is difficult
to believe, how this Rohingya issue can
be at all relevant with the proceedings and
jurisdiction of the International Crimes
Tribunal.

The judgment was passed by 3 judges in

the International Crimes Tribunal, where 1
judge acquitted him of the charge of murder and 2 judges sentenced him to death.
The judges ignored documentary evidence presented by Mir Quasem Ali to
show that he was in a different city at the
time of the incident.
The tribunal handed down the death penalty on two charges which were committed
between November 19 and December 16,
1971 referring several newspaper cuttings

Investigation officer also admitted to the Tribunal that they had no document to this effect, in
support of their claim.
At one stage of the appeal hearing, the court
expressed dissatisfaction over the prosecution
and the investigators of the International
Crimes Tribunal for their incompetence as
they had failed to bring witnesses against
some charges brought against the war criminal.

3 main reasons that disqualify

Mir Quasem Ali addressed a student rally at
Baitul Mukarram area on November 7. So, he
allegations against Quasem
had no link with the Chittagongs Dalim Hotel
centered occurrences of kidnapping, repres- 1. The charges are newly manufactured and
were never heard of! Though the alleged incision and killing of 1971, the lawyer claimed.
dents took place more than 40 years ago, no
Mir Quasem was a freshman Physics student such allegations were brought against Mr Mir
of Chittagong College in 1971. He was the Quasem Ali by the relatives of the victims or
president of Chittagong Chhatra Sanghas the state until a military-backed Awami
unit. He was elected a to the Pakistan Islami League claimed victory in 2009 elections.
Chhatra Sangha's provincial working council
on Nov 6. He was also general secretary of 2. Immediately after the war, the new government of Bangladesh identified, punished, and
East Pakistan Islami Chhatra Sangha
in some cases killed the local collaborators of
Mir Quasem Ali was elected general secretary the Pakistani Army. Mr Mir Quasem Ali was
of Islami Chhatra Sangha East Pakistan unit never arrested after the war, the authorities
on November 6, 1971, and before that he was did not find any complaint against him.
president of organiations Chittagong unit.
Immediately after being elected general sec- 3. Mr Mir Quasem Ali was born in 1952. Durretary of East Pakistan unit, he came to Dha- ing the war, he was only 19 years old! It is
ka, which is proved by the news published in impossible that a 19-year-old would assume
Dainik Azadi that the prosecution has submit- leadership role of a large paramilitary force
like the Al-Badr or direct a professional armed
ted.
force like the Pakistani Army, as claimed by
Dainik Azadi published Mir Quasems desig- the delusional state prosecution.
nation as ICSs Chittagong unit president till
November 6 but from the following day they MQA has not been implicated by anmentioned name of Abu Taher as president of yone in any crime for last 40 years.
ICS Chittagong unit. It also proved Mir The ruling regime created trumped
Quasem was not in Chittagong during the
charges against him with the sole
occurrences took place in Dalim Hotel.

All the witnesses could say is that they

Mir Quasem stayed at his sisters house at
have heard the name of one Mr Khan who
Agamashi Lane in Dhaka till March of 1972
was the leader and they think its Mir
from November 7, 1971. During this period,
Quasem Ali.
he did not go to Chittagong and he was never
member of Al Badar. And even, the state too
There was no eye witness, no documenhas not said he was member of Al Badar.
tary evidence what so ever to show a 19
year old Mir Quasem Ali was the leader of
Above all the state side could not prove or
a group which committed the alleged
could not show any document that Mir
crimes.
Quasem Ali went to Chittagong or had been
there during the period between November 7
But newspaper cuttings from Dainik
and December 16 of 1971.
Ittefaq, Dainik Azad, Dainik Pakistan,
Dainik Sangram and Dainik Azadi published in 1971, submitted by Govt. prose-

purpose of political vindication for

his efforts to expose the corruption
and crimes of this current regime
through his media houses. He was
not given minimum opportunity to
defend the charges brought against
him in a kangaroo-court.

Human Rights and Development for Bangladesh Newsletter

1 March 2016

Who is Mir Quasem Ali?

Mir Quasem Ali is the founder of more that 15 Hospitals, 10 Schools and helped build
many orphanages, Women Shelter & Rehabilitation Centre, Free medical centers and
Mosques.
Chairman (Management Committee), Diganta Media Corporation. This is a media
house, which owns One Satellite TV Station, One Bangla Language National Daily News
Paper, and Two Monthly Magazines. One FM Radio station, one English language National
Daily, One 24 hour web based news portal both in Bangla and English will be launched soon.
Islami Bank Bangladesh Limited: This is the biggest Private bank in Bangladesh which
introduced Islamic banking and financing to the people of Bangladesh. He in one of the
Founder and Visionary behind the success of Islami Bank. He was the Chairman of the Executive Committee for 12 years and Vice-Chairman for 4 years. Under his leadership Islami
Bank became the first public listed bank in Bangladesh. Islami Bank is the highest tax and
VAT paying bank in Bangladesh and the second highest tax paying corporation in the ranking
of all corporations in Bangladesh both national and multi-nationals combined.
Founding Trusty and Member responsible for Administration, Islami Bank Foundation.
This Foundation is a sister concern of Islami Bank Bangladesh Ltd, it runs more than 15
Hospitals and more that 50 Hospitals are under Construction; these hospitals provide Health
Care at cost price affordable for the majority of the population. , One English Medium School,
One Medical College, One Rehabilitation Centre for deprived women One Language Learning Centre and Lends interest free loans for SMEs and 49 projects aimed at poverty eradication.
Islamic Economic Research Bureau. One of the biggest think tanks of Bangladesh on
Commerce and Economics. He was the Chairman and currently he serves as a Trustee of
the Board of Trustees of the Organizations.

Founding Trusty and Member responsible for Administration, Ibn Sina Trust. This trust
runs 4 Specialized Hospitals, One Medical College, and 5 Diagnostic Laboratories; Ibn Sina
Trust was first private healthcare provider offering whole range of Health Care Services.
100% profit is plowed back for Humanitarian Causes. Trust also runs 11 other community
service projects.
Director (Marketing), Ibn Sina Pharmaceutical Industry. One of the first Pharmaceutical
industries in Bangladesh, holding nearly 10% of the Market share. Pharmaceuticals is the
2nd biggest export sector in Bangladesh.
Chairman, Association of Multipurpose Welfare Agencies of Bangladesh. This is the
biggest Association of Bangladeshi NGOs.
Vice- Chairman, Industrialists and Businessmen Welfare Foundation. A global forum
for Businessmen and Industrialists of Bangladeshi Origin. Currently it has representation from
20 countries.

Chairman, Keari Limited. This is a group of Companies which includes Real State Development, Poultry and Tourism. This company was the first to launch ocean going luxury
Tourists Liner in Bangladesh. Now it operates two such ships.
Senior Vice President, Allama Iqbal Trust. This trust is dedicated on development of
literature of aesthetic merit.
Trusty (Responsible for Administration), Fouad Al Khateeb Charity Foundation. This
trust runs 10 charitable community services projects.
International Relations:
He is entrusted by Bangladesh Jamaat-e-islami for maintaining relationship with International
Community and he is a Senior policy maker in formulating Foreign Policy of Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami.

Human Rights and Development for Bangladesh (HRDB) / email: humanrightsbd@gmail.com