Muhammad Kamaruzzaman (4 July 1952 – 11 April 2015) was a Bangladeshi politician and journalist who served as the senior assistant secretary general of
Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami
Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami ( bn, বাংলাদেশ জামায়াতে ইসলামী, Bānglādēsh Jāmāyatē Islāmī, Bangladesh Islamic Assembly), previously known as Jamaat-e-Islami Bangladesh, or Jamaat for short, was ...
and was convicted of war crimes during the 1971
Liberation war of Bangladesh
The Bangladesh Liberation War ( bn, মুক্তিযুদ্ধ, , also known as the Bangladesh War of Independence, or simply the Liberation War in Bangladesh) was a revolution and armed conflict sparked by the rise of the Bengali n ...
.
He was executed by hanging at
Dhaka Central Jail
Dhaka Central Jail was the largest jail in Bangladesh, located in the old section of Dhaka, the country's capital. The jail has been used to house criminals as well as political prisoners, especially during the Language Movement of 1952, the 6 ...
at 22:01 on 11 April 2015.
Besides his political career, Kamaruzzaman also was the editor of the ''Weekly Sonar Bangla''.
On 9 May 2013 the
International Crimes Tribunal sentenced him to death after it found Kamaruzzaman guilty of crimes against humanity including
genocide
Genocide is the intentional destruction of a people—usually defined as an ethnic, national, racial, or religious group—in whole or in part. Raphael Lemkin coined the term in 1944, combining the Greek word (, "race, people") with the Latin ...
, killing,
rape
Rape is a type of sexual assault usually involving sexual intercourse or other forms of sexual penetration carried out against a person without their consent. The act may be carried out by physical force, coercion, abuse of authority, or ag ...
, looting, arson, and deportation of people during the
Bangladesh Liberation War
The Bangladesh Liberation War ( bn, মুক্তিযুদ্ধ, , also known as the Bangladesh War of Independence, or simply the Liberation War in Bangladesh) was a revolution and War, armed conflict sparked by the rise of the Benga ...
.
Kamaruzzaman denied all charges, stating they were politically motivated.
The trial itself was criticized by international observers and opposition figures and was mired in controversies.
Early life
Kamaruzzaman was born on 4 July 1952, at Sajbarkhila village in
Sherpur Thana,
Bangladesh
Bangladesh (}, ), officially the People's Republic of Bangladesh, is a country in South Asia. It is the eighth-most populous country in the world, with a population exceeding 165 million people in an area of . Bangladesh is among the mos ...
(at the time
East Bengal
ur,
, common_name = East Bengal
, status = Province of the Dominion of Pakistan
, p1 = Bengal Presidency
, flag_p1 = Flag of British Bengal.svg
, s1 = East ...
,
Dominion of Pakistan
Between 14 August 1947 and 23 March 1956, Pakistan was an independent federal dominion in the Commonwealth of Nations, created by the passing of the Indian Independence Act 1947 by the British parliament, which also created the Dominion of I ...
).
His father Moulavi Insan Ali Sarker, was a businessman. Kamaruzzaman obtained a master's degree in journalism in 1976 from
Dhaka University
The University of Dhaka (also known as Dhaka University, or DU) is a public research university located in Dhaka, Bangladesh. It is the oldest university in Bangladesh. The university opened its doors to students on July 1st 1921. Currently i ...
. He had five sons. He was married to Nurun Nahar.
[
]
Political career
In 1971
In 1971, Kamruzzaman was a college student. He is also alleged to be member of the Islami Chattra Sangha in Mymensingh. He was the chief organizer of the Al-Badr
Al Badr is a village in Mecca Province, in western Saudi Arabia
Saudi Arabia, officially the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA), is a country in Western Asia. It covers the bulk of the Arabian Peninsula, and has a land area of about , making ...
, a paramilitary force formed to assist the Pakistan army to thwart the Bangladesh independence movement in 1971, of greater Mymensingh region.[The Daily Sangram, 16 August 1971. Cited in ''Ekattorer Ghatok Dalalera ke kothay'', edited by Ahmed Sharif, Kazi Nuruzzaman and Shahriar Kabir, 4th edition published February 1989, pages 111 & 112. Photo on page 111. ] According to the '' Daily Sangram'' on 16 August 1971, Muhammad Kamruzzaman presided over a rally held at the local Muslim Institute in Mymensingh
Mymensingh ( bn, ময়মনসিংহ) is the capital of Mymensingh Division, Bangladesh. Located on the bank of Brahmaputra River, about north of the national capital Dhaka, it is a major financial center and educational hub of north ...
by the Al-Badr to mark the 25th independence day of Pakistan
Pakistan Establishment Day (colloquially the Fourteenth of August) is a state holiday in Pakistan commemorating the nation's establishment from the United Kingdom on 14 August 1947, establishing the Dominion of Pakistan.
Pakistan came into ...
.
Post-independence
Kamaruzzaman was a two-time President of Islami Chhatra Shibir
Bangladesh Islami Chhatrashibir ( bn, বাংলাদেশ ইসলামী ছাত্রশিবির), is an Islamic student organization based in Bangladesh. It was established on 15 February 1996. The organisation is generally under ...
the student wing of Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami
Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami ( bn, বাংলাদেশ জামায়াতে ইসলামী, Bānglādēsh Jāmāyatē Islāmī, Bangladesh Islamic Assembly), previously known as Jamaat-e-Islami Bangladesh, or Jamaat for short, was ...
. He became a journalist at the weekly ''Sonar Bangla'' in 1981, later taking the role of editor. He also worked for ''The Daily Sangram'' as executive editor.
In four successive elections between 1991 and 2008 Kamaruzzaman unsuccessfully contested the seat Sherpur-1 for Jamaat-e-Islami, losing the last three times to the Awami League In Urdu language, Awami is the adjectival form for '' Awam'', the Urdu language word for common people.
The adjective appears in the following proper names:
*Awami Colony, a neighbourhood of Landhi Town in Karachi, Sindh, Pakistan
*Awami Front, wa ...
candidate Md. Atiur Rahman Atik.
War crimes trial
Kamuruzzaman was initially arrested on 13 July 2010 and detained for over a year without being formally informed of charges. In November 2011 the United Nations Working Group on Arbitrary Detention adopted the opinion that the detention was disproportional and breached human rights conventions. Kamaruzzaman, along with nine other senior members from Jamaat-e-Islami,[ was charged on seven counts of crimes against humanity during the ]Bangladesh Liberation War
The Bangladesh Liberation War ( bn, মুক্তিযুদ্ধ, , also known as the Bangladesh War of Independence, or simply the Liberation War in Bangladesh) was a revolution and War, armed conflict sparked by the rise of the Benga ...
in 1971, including genocide, killing, rape, looting, arson and deportation of unarmed civilians. He denied all charges, saying they were politically motivated.
Charges
Kamaruzzaman was charged with the following war crimes:[
* Killing of Badiuzzaman by Al-Badr, led by Kamaruzzaman on 29 June 1971.
* Torture of Lecturer Abdul Hannan by Kamaruzzaman and his associates in May 1971.
* Genocide of 120 men and rape of the women of the village Sohaghpur on 25 July 1971, planned and advised by Kamaruzzaman.
* Murder of Golam Mostafa by Al-Badr on Kamaruzzaman's orders on 23 August 1971.
* Killing of eight people from Chawkbazar by Al-Badr in presence of Kamaruzzaman at Sherpur in the middle of the Ramadan during the war.
* Repression of Didar and others in Mymensingh district in November 1971.
* Murder of five on the 27th day of Ramadan by the Al-Badr members following the orders of Kamaruzzaman.
]
Conviction and execution
The final arguments of the trial closed on 14 April 2013. On 9 May 2013 the International Crimes Tribunal found him guilty on five out of the seven counts, including torture, genocide, killing, rape, looting, arson, and deportation of unarmed civilians during the 1971 Liberation war of Bangladesh
The Bangladesh Liberation War ( bn, মুক্তিযুদ্ধ, , also known as the Bangladesh War of Independence, or simply the Liberation War in Bangladesh) was a revolution and armed conflict sparked by the rise of the Bengali n ...
and sentenced him to death by hanging on two of the charges. Kamaruzzaman denied the charges saying the trial was politically motivated and appealed the verdict in the Supreme Court.[ During the trial, Kamaruzzman had outbursts of anger and commented: "There is no instance in history that a higher secondary student has been tried for crimes against humanity."] The court upheld the death sentence on the charge of the Shohagpur genocide. He filed a review petition which was dismissed by the appellate division of the Supreme Court.
Kamaruzzaman was executed on 11 April 2015 in Dhaka Central jail.
Controversies
Though the government and ICT have stated that justice was the priority, opposition parties Jamaat-e-Islami and the BNP accused the prime minister Sheikh Hasina
Sheikh Hasina Wazed (''née'' Sheikh Hasina ; ; bn, শেখ হাসিনা ওয়াজেদ, Shēkh Hasinā, , born 28 September 1947) is a Bangladeshi politician who has served as the Prime Minister of Bangladesh, Prime Minister ...
of using the tribunal to persecute them. Human Rights Watch called the trial "seriously flawed".
2012 Skype controversy
In December 2012, conversations and emails between the judge and a Brussels-based lawyer were published, which according to ''The Economist
''The Economist'' is a British weekly newspaper printed in demitab format and published digitally. It focuses on current affairs, international business, politics, technology, and culture. Based in London, the newspaper is owned by The Econo ...
'' revealed that the government wanted a quick verdict from the International Crimes Tribunal. In response, an application was submitted on behalf of Kamaruzzaman for a retrial, which was rejected.
Following the revelations, the controversial chief Justice Nizamul Huq resigned from the post and Fazle Kabir was appointed there.
See also
* Abdul Kader Mollah
* Delwar Hossain Sayidee
* Golam Azam
Ghulam Azam ( bn, গোলাম আযম; 7 November 192223 October 2014) was a Bangladeshi Islamist politician. He was the former Emir, leader of Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami, the largest Islamist political party in Bangladesh.
Azam was arre ...
* List of Bangladeshi criminals
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Kamaruzzaman, Muhammad
1952 births
2015 deaths
People from Sherpur District
Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami politicians
Bangladeshi people convicted of crimes against humanity
Bangladeshi people convicted of war crimes
Executed Bangladeshi people
People executed for war crimes
People executed for crimes against humanity
Bangladeshi politicians convicted of crimes
Bangladeshi male criminals
21st-century executions by Bangladesh
1971 Bangladesh genocide perpetrators
Executed mass murderers