Protests rage for third day over Bangladeshi war crimes Islamist
http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/02/07/us-bangladesh-protest-verdict-idUSBRE9160SG20130207
DHAKA | 
DHAKA (Reuters) - Tens of thousands of protesters rallied in cities across Bangladesh for a third day on Thursday to demand the execution of an Islamist leader sentenced to life in prison for war crimes committed during the 1971 independence conflict.
The sentencing of Abdul Quader Mollah by a war crimes tribunal on Tuesday for charges including murder, rape and torture was the second verdict in trials that have reopened the wounds of Bangladesh's struggle to break away from Pakistan.
Public outrage was fuelled by bloggers and activists using Facebook and other social media websites who called for mass protests.
Protest leaders have called for activists around the country to converge on Dhaka on Friday for a mass rally.
Demonstrations were held for the third day running on Thursday in more than a dozen cities, including the capital Dhaka, Chittagong, Sylhet, Rajshahi, Rangpur and Khulna.
Thousands of people poured on to Dhaka's Shahbag Avenue, vowing to continue their protest until authorities agreed to their demand to execute Mollah. Police blocked nearby streets and diverted traffic.
"We won't go home until we are satisfied," said student Shams Islam as the crowd sang patriotic songs, beat drums and burned effigies of the Islamist leader.
"We are not only pushing for justice, but also reminding our political leaders that the nation can unite and stand together for a genuine cause," said another activist, Abdul Latif.
"Shahbag has become a model for unity, especially for the young generation aspiring for a happy and prosperous Bangladesh," he said.
Bangladesh became part of Pakistan at the end of British rule in 1947 but broke away in 1971 after a war between Bangladeshi nationalists, who were backed by India, and Pakistani forces that cost 3 million lives.
NEW STRIKE CALL
Some factions in what was then East Pakistan opposed the break with Pakistan, and numerous abuses were committed during the nine-month war. Jamaat denies accusations that it opposed independence and helped the Pakistani army.
There is widespread support among Bangladeshis for calls for Mollah to be hanged, but in an indication of the rifts opened up by the court, shops and businesses in the capital and elsewhere were shut on Tuesday and Wednesday as Jamaat-e-Islami enforced a national strike against his conviction.
About 50 people were injured and about 100 arrested in clashes between Jamaat activists and police on Wednesday.
Jamaat on Thursday called for a day-long strike in Chittagong on Saturday in protest against police actions in the port city during the walkout on Tuesday, when the party says four of its supporters died.
Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, daughter of independence leader Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, set up the war crimes tribunal in 2010 to investigate abuses during the 1971 war.
But critics say she is using it as a political weapon against the two biggest opposition parties, the Bangladesh Nationalist Party and Jamaat-e-Islami.
The court delivered its first judgment last month, sentencing a former Jamaat leader and popular Islamic preacher, Abul Kalam Azad, to death for murder, rape and other crimes.
Eight other senior Jamaat leaders are on trial, along with two men from the main opposition Bangladesh Nationalist Party, led by Hasina's arch rival, Begum Khaleda Zia.
The ruling Awami party has rejected accusations that the tribunal is biased but it has been criticized by human rights groups for failing to adhere to standards of international law.
Hasina on Thursday urged Bangladeshis to remain vigilant against what she said were attempts by Jamaat to "stop the trial of war criminals and foil democracy".
(Additional reporting by Serajul Quadir; Editing by Pravin Char)
Bangladeshi war crimes protesters turn anger towards feuding politicians
http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/02/08/us-bangladesh-protest-verdict-idUSBRE9170NR20130208
By Anis Ahmed
DHAKA | DHAKA (Reuters) - About 100,000 people rallied in Bangladesh's capital on Friday to vent their anger at the country's feuding politicians, the fourth day of protests after an Islamist leader convicted of war crimes was spared execution.
The sentencing of Abdul Quader Mollah to life in prison by a war crimes tribunal on Tuesday for charges including murder, rape and torture was the second verdict in trials that have reopened the wounds of Bangladesh's 1971 independence conflict.
Public outrage was fuelled by bloggers and activists using Facebook and other social media websites who called for mass protests.
Activists converged on Dhaka from several outlying areas on Friday, answering the call of protest leaders who appealed for a mass rally. The 100,000-strong crowd that gathered in the capital's Shahbag Avenue, mainly young people, dwarfed the crowds of about 10,000 that had turned out in previous days.
Many protesters dubbed Shahbag Avenue "Bangladesh's Tahrir Square", recalling the scene of protests in Cairo which led to the overthrow of Egyptian strongman Hosni Mubarak in 2011.
"War criminals deserve a punishment of death. Now that the new generation is trying to push this, I am with them and hope they will succeed," said Sushmita Rahman, a housewife. "There are some crimes that can never be pardoned," she said.
Protesters enraged by Mollah's verdict have increasingly turned their anger towards the country's main political parties, because they waited four decades to bring war criminals to trial and are feuding over the validity of the war crimes tribunal.
Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina's ruling Awami party and the main opposition Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) of her arch enemy, former premier Begum Khaleda Zia, have rotated power since 1991.
Hasina set up the tribunal in 2010 to investigate abuses during the 1971 war. But the BNP and its ally Jamaat-e-Islami, the country's other main opposition party, say she is using it as a political weapon against them, a charge Hasina denies. Khaleda has branded the tribunal a "farce".
"NEW TAHRIR SQUARE"
The activists in Dhaka said they would continue their protest until the authorities put all war criminals to death. As night fell, the whole area was lit up by thousands of candle.
"The public reaction we are seeing at Shahbag may turn into a new Tahrir Square," Syed Anwar Hussain, a professor of history and a political analyst told Reuters.
In a sign of the growing resentment towards politicians, the protesters refused to allow political leaders to speak at the rally. Instead, they gave the floor to students and teachers, cultural activists and war veterans - who all pledged to support the young protesters.
"We don't need the politicians here," said student Sayed Badrul Islam. "They let this cause down."
"Politicians have been busy slinging mud against each other and spent decades without pushing the war crimes issue. So now the young generation has wrested the leadership to bring it into focus and push it harder," he said.
Similar protests took place in major cities across Bangladesh, where thousands showed up for street rallies and marches. They burned effigies of Mollah and demanded his execution.
Bangladesh became part of Pakistan at the end of British rule in 1947 but broke away in 1971 after a war between Bangladeshi nationalists, backed by India, and Pakistani forces that cost 3 million lives, saw thousands of women raped, and forced nearly one million people to flee to India.
Some factions in what was then East Pakistan opposed the break with Pakistan, and numerous abuses were committed during the nine-month war. Jamaat-e-Islami denies accusations that it opposed independence and helped the Pakistani army.
Mollah was found guilty of charges including killing of hundreds of nationalists during the war. Eight other top Jamaat leaders and two from the BNP are on trial for war crimes.
There is widespread support among Bangladeshis for calls for Mollah to be hanged, but in an indication of the rifts opened up by the court, shops and businesses in the capital and elsewhere were shut on Tuesday and Wednesday as Jamaat-e-Islami enforced a national strike against his conviction.
The court delivered its first judgment last month, sentencing a former Jamaat leader and popular Islamic preacher, Abul Kalam Azad, to death for murder, rape and other crimes.
(Additional reporting by Ruma Paul and Serajul Quadir; Editing by Pravin Char
No comments:
Post a Comment