HRDB NEWSLETTER

Human Rights and Development for Bangladesh Newsletter

September 3, 2016 2016

Bangladesh has executed Prominent Islamic Leader

Mir Quasem Ali

Bangladesh has executed Mir Quasem Ali, 63, a senior
leader of the largest Islamist party, Jamaat-e-Islami.
through a trial procedure that international human
rights groups have condemned as deeply flawed.
Amid irregularities and failed to
meet international fair trial and due
process standards the appellate
division of Supreme Court on Sunday concluded the hearing on the
petition filed by death row convict
leader Mir Quasem Ali, seeking
review of its earlier verdict that upheld his death penalty for alleged
crimes against humanity during the
War of Independence in 1971.

Five opposition leaders including four

leading Islamists have already been
executed for war crimes since 2013.
They were hanged just days after their
appeals were rejected by the Supreme Court.
Most did not seek a presidential reprieve because they were thought
likely to fail.

Two weeks before this review hearing

Ali decided not to seek presidential Ali's son and part of his legal defence
team, Mir Ahmed Bin Quasem, was
clemency, the last option for a
death row convict to avoid the gal- abducted from his home on 9 August
by Bangladeshi security forces. More
lows.
condemnable issue is, since the abAt the dawn of 3rd September 2016; duction incident, the officials of the
Mir Quasem Ali was executed at
law enforcement bodies have been
Kashimpur Central Jail, about 46
denying the arrest claim.
km north of the capital of BanglaBarrister Mir Ahmed Bin Quasem on
desh.
19 June filed a 68-page review peti-

tion with the Appellate Division seeking acquittal of his father.

In this background defence counsel
Khandker Mahbub Hossain on Aug
24th prayed for a month to prepare for
the review hearing, but the court rejected his plea and upheld death penalty of Mir Quasem Ali.
Moreover, the court itself felt that
prosecutors involved with the trial
were not correctly investigating and
prosecuting even though enough
money was being spent on them, he
said. The government-appointed prosecutors run the cases at the ICT. After
the tribunal delivers a verdict, the defendants appeal at the Supreme
Court.
A group of United Nations human
rights experts in a news release issued on Aug 23rd 2016 have urged
the Government of Bangladesh to
annul the death sentence imposed
upon him, and to re-try him in in compliance with international standards.

The prominent HR organisations

including UN human rights experts & Human Rights Watch also
expressed alarm at reports of his
sons illegal abduction by Bangladeshi security forces.
In addition, disclosures from the
international news media show
that there is overwhelming evidence of serious judicial and
prosecutorial misconduct.

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 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...
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.
Muzzling the press:
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,
these two media outlate 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.

Death Sentence of Mir Quasem Ali:

A dark picture of misuse of

Judicial proceedings
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.
Quasem was harassed before arrest
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. He was banned
from traveling 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.
What are the various reasons for
Awami League to target a popular
leader like him:
1. Mir Quasem Ali is a leader of Jamaat
-e-Islami, 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-e-Islami 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-eIslami 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.
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 sociopolitical landscape.
3 main reasons that disqualify allegations against Quasem
1. The charges are newly manufactured
and were never heard of! Though the
alleged incidents took place more than 40
years ago, no such allegations were
brought against Mr Mir Quasem Ali by the
relatives of the victims or the state until a
military-backed Awami League claimed
victory in 2009 elections.
2. Immediately after the war, the new
government of Bangladesh identified,
punished, and in some cases killed the
local collaborators of the Pakistani Army.
Mr Mir Quasem Ali was never arrested
after the war, the authorities did not find
any complaint against him.
3. Mr Mir Quasem Ali was born in 1952.
During the war, he was only 19 years old!
It is impossible that a 19-year-old would
assume leadership role of a large paramilitary force like the Al-Badr or direct a
professional armed force like the Pakistani Army, as claimed by the delusional
state prosecution.
MQA has not been implicated by anyone in any crime for last 40 years. The
ruling regime created trumped charges against him with the sole 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 kangaroocourt.

Global
Condemnation
The International Community has
been outspoken in condemning
his arrest. Several instances are
referred below:

United Nations human rights

experts
A group of United Nations human rights
experts in a news release issued on
Aug 23rd 2016 have urged the Government of Bangladesh to annul the death
sentence imposed upon him, and to retry him in in compliance with international standards.
UN experts also indicated that Ali's deprivation of liberty was arbitrary and in
breach of articles 9 of the Universal
Declaration of Human Rights and the
International Covenant on Civil and
Political Rights.

Human Rights Watch

If theres even a shadow of doubt about
fairness, as in Quasem Alis case, the
authorities should set aside the death
penalty.
While many in Bangladesh believe
Quasem Ali to be guilty and want him
punished, justice is only served through
fair trials.
Authorities owe it victims to establish
guilt with proper evidence rather than
fast-tracking hangings after unfair trials.

United States Congress

Congressman Joe Wilson of South
Carolina has called for justice for MQA
in his speech in the House of Representatives (US Congress, June 28,
2012). Hon. Wilson, a Member of the
House Foreign Affairs Committee, Subcommittee on the Middle East and
South Asia stated that MQA is the owner of the largest opposition-run media
outlet which has openly raised criticism

against the Tribunal as well as against the

ruling government at-large. He stressed his
concern that his [MQAs] arrest and ongoing detention may represent a thinly-veiled
attempt by the ruling government of Bangladesh to silence its opponents and critics.
He also stated that the International
Crimes Tribunal of Bangladesh is inherently flawed and lacks compliance with
international standards and it appears
that the Tribunal is international in name
only, as it lacks international oversight or
involvement, experienced foreign attorneys
have been banned from participating, and
the Tribunal violates at least two of Bangladeshs international treaty obligations.

day want to drink.

The World Bulletin

Although the government and its supporters

have welcomed the verdict and are pushing
for its quick implementation, critics have
stated that the trial process was lacking in
fair trial standards and did not provide justice to the real victims of crimes committed
in the war of 1971, which led to the creation
of Bangladesh. Moreover, in a twist that
made matters more complicated, Mir Ahmad Bin Quasem, the son of Mir Quasem
Ali and a lawyer of the defence team, was
abducted on August 9, 2016 by men claiming to be members of detective branch of
police from his residence in Dhaka. There is
Britains House of Lords
no news of his whereabouts since, and
On 9th October 2012, Baroness Sal Brinton police have denied any involvement whatof Liberal Democrat Party in a debate on
soever.
Bangladesh: Human Rights at the House
International Human Rights
of Lords said .More recently, and perhaps more worryingly, when Sheikh
International Human Rights groups that
Hasina was being feted in the UK during
have spoken out against the judicial prothe Olympics, she had ordered the arrest
ceedings include Human Rights Watch,
of Mir Quasem Ali, a leading member of
Amnesty International, The International
the Islamist party Jamaat-e-Islami, who is
well known both as a politician and through Center for Transitional Justice, the International Bar Association, No Peace without
his ability to reach people through the JaJustice, the United States Ambassador-atmaat newspaper and media group. It appears that his real crime has been to criti- Large for War Crimes Stephen Rapp, Members of the United States Congress, Memcise the war crimes tribunal set up by
bers of the British Government, Members of
Hasina, which seems to take a very retrithe United Kingdom House of Lords and the
butional approach rather than the justice
Bar Human Rights Committee of England
and reconciliation
and Wales. The United Nations Working
Group on Arbitrary Detention has declared
Lord Carlile of Berriew
the process in breach of international law,
On 25th November 2012, Britains Lord
and has referred the matter to the UN SpeCarlile of Berriew in a Press Statement
cial Rapporteur on Torture.
voiced disappointment on the injustice over
Mir Quasem Ali. Lord Carlile, in his stateStop Judicial Killings.
ment highlighted inter alia that -The arrest
of Mir Quasem Ali, a leading member of
Form an international Tribunal unthe Islamist party Jamaat-e-Islami and the
der the auspices of the United Naowner and director of newspaper and metions to bring the real culprits to
dia group Diganta Media, whose only
crime appeared to have been the apparent
justice rather than falsely implicatcriticism of the Tribunal set up by Prime
ing and incriminating leaders,
Minister Sheikh Hasina
scholars and personalities from the

The Economist
Authoritarianism, rising extremism and
riding roughshod over justice will poison
the well from which Bangladesh will one

opposition camp.
Stop the use of the death penalty in
all circumstances, even for the
most serious international crimes.

Human Rights and Development for Bangladesh Newsletter

September 3, 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.

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
Chairman (Management Committee),
population. , One English Medium School,
Diganta Media Corporation. This is a
One Medical College, One Rehabilitation
media house, which owns One Satellite TV Centre for deprived women One Language
Station, One Bangla Language National
Learning Centre and Lends interest free
Daily News Paper, and Two Monthly Mag- loans for SMEs and 49 projects aimed at
azines. One FM Radio station, one English poverty eradication.
language National Daily, One 24 hour web
based news portal both in Bangla and
Islamic Economic Research Bureau.
English will be launched soon.
One of the biggest think tanks of Bangladesh on Commerce and Economics. He
Islami Bank Bangladesh Limited: This
was the Chairman and currently he serves
is the biggest Private bank in Bangladesh as a Trustee of the Board of Trustees of
which introduced Islamic banking and fithe Organizations.
nancing to the people of Bangladesh. He
in one of the Founder and Visionary beFounding Trusty and Member responsihind the success of Islami Bank. He was
ble for Administration, Ibn Sina Trust.
the Chairman of the Executive Committee This trust runs 4 Specialized Hospitals,
for 12 years and Vice-Chairman for 4
One Medical College, and 5 Diagnostic
years. Under his leadership Islami Bank
Laboratories; Ibn Sina Trust was first pribecame the first public listed bank in
vate healthcare provider offering whole
Bangladesh. Islami Bank is the highest tax range of Health Care Services. 100% profit
and VAT paying bank in Bangladesh and
is plowed back for Humanitarian Causes.
the second highest tax paying corporation Trust also runs 11 other community serin the ranking of all corporations in Bangla- vice projects.
desh both national and multi-nationals
combined.
Director (Marketing), Ibn Sina Pharmaceutical Industry. One of the first PharFounding Trusty and Member responsi- maceutical industries in Bangladesh, holdble for Administration, Islami Bank
ing nearly 10% of the Market share. Phar-

maceuticals 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-eislami for maintaining relationship with
International Community and he is a Senior policy maker in formulating Foreign
Policy of Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami.

Please pray for Mir Quasem Ali a renowned Islamic activist, entrepreneur businessman who is the founder of more that 15 Hospitals, 10 Schools and helped build many orphanages, Women Shelter & Rehabilitation Centre, Free medical centers and Mosques.
Human Rights and Development for Bangladesh (HRDB) / email: humanrightsbd@gmail.com