Salahuddin Quader Chowdhury (13 March 1949 – 22 November 2015) was a

Bangladeshi Bangladeshis ( bn, বাংলাদেশী ) are the citizens of Bangladesh, a South Asian country centered on the transnational historical region of Bengal along the eponymous bay. Bangladeshi citizenship was formed in 1971, when the ...

politician, minister and six-term member of

Jatiya Sangsad The Jatiya Sangsad ( bn, জাতীয় সংসদ, lit=National Parliament, translit=Jatiyô Sôngsôd), often referred to simply as the ''Sangsad'' or JS and also known as the House of the Nation, is the supreme legislative body of ...

and member of the

Bangladesh Nationalist Party The Bangladesh Nationalist Party ( bn, বাংলাদেশ জাতীয়তাবাদী দল, Bangladesh Jātīyotābādī Dol; BNP) is a centre-right to right-wing nationalist, political party in Bangladesh and one of the major ...

(BNP)

Standing Committee A committee or commission is a body of one or more persons subordinate to a deliberative assembly. A committee is not itself considered to be a form of assembly. Usually, the assembly sends matters into a committee as a way to explore them more ...

, who served as the adviser of parliamentary affairs to Prime Minister

Khaleda Zia Khaleda Zia (; born Khaleda Khanam Putul in 1945) is a Bangladeshi politician who served as the Prime Minister of Bangladesh from March 1991 to March 1996, and again from June 2001 to October 2006. She was the first female prime minister of Ba ...

in from 2001 to 2006. On he was convicted of 9 of 23 charges and sentenced to death by the International Crimes Tribunal of Bangladesh for crimes during the 1971

Bangladesh War of Independence 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 in Dhaka on 22 November 2015.

Early life

Chowdhury was born on 13 March 1949 in Gahira village. He was from a political family of

Raozan Upazila Raozan,gohira ( bn, রাউজান) is an upazila of Chattogram District, in Chattogram Division, Bangladesh. It was established in 1947. Geography Raozan has 45,777 households and a total area of 246.58 km2. The two main river ...

in erstwhile

East Pakistan East Pakistan was a Pakistani province established in 1955 by the One Unit Scheme, One Unit Policy, renaming the province as such from East Bengal, which, in modern times, is split between India and Bangladesh. Its land borders were with India ...

. His father,

Fazlul Quader Chowdhury Fazlul Quader Chowdhury (1919–1973) was a Bengali politician who served as the 5th speaker of the National Assembly of Pakistan from East Pakistan. He belonged to Ayub Khan's Convention Muslim League. He was also the Acting President of Paki ...

, was a Speaker of

Pakistan National Assembly The National Assembly ( ur, , translit=Aiwān-e-Zairīñ, , or ur, قومی اسمبلی, romanized: ''Qaumi Assembly'') is the lower legislative house of the bicameral Parliament of Pakistan, which also comprises the Senate of Pakistan (upp ...

and

Acting President of Pakistan The president of Pakistan ( ur, , translit=s̤adr-i Pākiṣṭān), officially the President of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, is the ceremonial head of state of Pakistan and the commander-in-chief of the Pakistan Armed Forces. He was the eldest among the six siblings. He received his education from the boarding school,

Sadiq Public School The Sadiq Public School (SPS) is a college-preparatory boarding school located in Bahawalpur, Punjab, Pakistan. It also takes day pupils. It is one of the largest schools in Pakistan and its area of makes it both the largest in the country and ...

Bahawalpur Bahawalpur () is a city in the Punjab province of Pakistan. With inhabitants as of 2017, it is Pakistan's 11th most populous city. Founded in 1748, Bahawalpur was the capital of the former princely state of Bahawalpur, ruled by the Abbasi fa ...

, Pakistan.

Political career

Chowdhury was a member of the

Bangladesh Parliament The Jatiya Sangsad ( bn, জাতীয় সংসদ, lit=National Parliament, translit=Jatiyô Sôngsôd), often referred to simply as the ''Sangsad'' or JS and also known as the House of the Nation, is the supreme legislative body of ...

. He was a member of the standing committee of Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP). Chowdhury was a seven-term Member of Parliament, generally representing

Rangunia Rangunia is a town in Chittagong District in the division of Chittagong. It is the administrative headquarter and urban centre of Rangunia Upazila Rangunia ( bn, রাঙ্গুনিয়া) is an upazila of Chattogram District in Chatt ...

and/or

Boalkhali Upazila Boalkhali ( bn, বোয়ালখালী) is an upazila of Chattogram District in Chattogram Division, Bangladesh. Geography Boalkhali is located at . It previously had 33514 households and its total area is 145.44 km2. According to ...

s, starting with constituency Chittagong-7 in

1979 Events January * January 1 ** United Nations Secretary-General Kurt Waldheim heralds the start of the ''International Year of the Child''. Many musicians donate to the ''Music for UNICEF Concert'' fund, among them ABBA, who write the song ...

. He was elected for

Chittagong-6 Chittagong-6 is a constituency represented in the Jatiya Sangsad (National Parliament) of Bangladesh since 2014 by A.B.M. Fazle Karim Chowdhury of the Awami League. Boundaries The constituency encompasses Raozan Upazila. History The constit ...

in 1986 and 1991. He was elected for Chittagong-7 again in

1996 File:1996 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: A Centennial Olympic Park bombing, bomb explodes at Centennial Olympic Park in Atlanta, set off by a radical Anti-abortion violence, anti-abortionist; The center fuel tank explodes on TWA Flight 8 ...

, and re-elected in

2001 The September 11 attacks against the United States by Al-Qaeda, which Casualties of the September 11 attacks, killed 2,977 people and instigated the global war on terror, were a defining event of 2001. The United States led a Participants in ...

. His final term, to which he was elected in

2008 File:2008 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: Lehman Brothers went bankrupt following the Subprime mortgage crisis; Cyclone Nargis killed more than 138,000 in Myanmar; A scene from the opening ceremony of the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing; ...

, was for

Chittagong-2 Chittagong-2 is a constituency represented in the Jatiya Sangsad (National Parliament) of Bangladesh since 2014 by Syed Nazibul Bashar Maizvandary of the Bangladesh Tarikat Federation. Boundaries The constituency encompasses Fatikchhari Upaz ...

War crimes trial

Chowdhury was arrested 2011 from his "safe house" in

Dhanmondi Dhanmondi ( bn, ধানমন্ডি) is a residential area in Dhaka, Bangladesh, known for its central location, cultural vibrancy and being home to the country's founder, Sheikh Mujibur Rahman. The origins of Dhanmondi can be traced back to t ...

and questioned by the special branch of police, where he was reportedly tortured. The trial for his involvements in the 1971 Bangladesh genocide were due to begin in August 2011.

War crime charges

Among the charges submitted against Chowdhury in the International Crimes Tribunal were: # Abduction of 7 Hindu minority and killing 6 of them on 4–5 April 1971. # Accompanying Pakistan army at the time of killing Maddhya Gohira Hindu Parha in Raozan on 13 April 1971. # Killing Kundeshwari Oushadhalaya owner and social worker

Nutan Chandra Singha Nutan Chandra Sinha was a Bangladeshi businessman who was killed in the Bangladesh Liberation war and is considered a martyr in Bangladesh. Early life Sinha was born on 1 December 1900 in Gohira, Raozan Upazila, Chittagong, Bengal Presidency, Bri ...

13 April 1971. His son testified at the trial. # Accompanying Pakistan army in the killing of 32 people, arson, looting and raping. # Complicity in the killing of Satish Chandra Palit on 14 April, burning his house, and the deportation of his family. Satish's son testified in court against Salahuddin Quader. # Combined attack with Pakistan army to Hindu populated Shakhapura village at Boalkhali and killing 76 people.

Trial

During Chowdhury's trial the prosecution summoned 41 witnesses to testify while four were called in his defense. Commenting on the trial, the former

United States Ambassador-at-Large for War Crimes Issues The United States Ambassador-at-Large for Global Criminal Justice is the head of the Office of Global Criminal Justice in the United States Department of State. The ambassador-at-large advises the United States Secretary of State and the Under Se ...

Stephen Rapp Stephen J. Rapp (born January 26, 1949) is an American lawyer and the former United States Ambassador-at-Large for War Crimes Issues in the Office of Global Criminal Justice. Career Rapp has been a lawyer in private practice, a Democratic mem ...

, said that it was "disturbing" that limitations were placed on defense testimony. Affidavits stating that Chowdhury was in Pakistan and studying law at the

University of Punjab The University of the Punjab (Urdu, pnb, ), also referred to as Punjab University, is a public, research, coeducational higher education institution located in Lahore, Pakistan. Punjab University is the oldest public university in Pakistan. ...

at the time of the crimes were not considered. Defense testimony from a former prime minister of Pakistan and a former American ambassador was not allowed by the court.

Conviction

On 1 October 2013, the International Crimes Tribunal of Bangladesh sentenced Chowdhury to death by hanging for nine out of the 23 charges brought against him. His party BNP argued that the trial is politically motivated. On 18 November 2015,

Bangladesh Supreme Court The Supreme Court of Bangladesh ( bn, বাংলাদেশ সুপ্রীম কোর্ট) is the highest court of law in Bangladesh. It is composed of the High Court Division and the Appellate Division, and was created by Part VI C ...

dismissed the appeal of Chowdhury, upholding the death sentence. According to jail officials, Chowdhury asked for mercy in a petition to the

President of Bangladesh The president of Bangladesh ( bn, বাংলাদেশের রাষ্ট্রপতি — ) officially the President of the People's Republic of Bangladesh ( bn, গণপ্রজাতন্ত্রী বাংলাদেশে ...

, but his appeal was rejected.

Execution

On 22 November 2015, at 12:45 in the morning, Chowdhury 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 ...

. Another convict,

Ali Ahsan Mohammad Mojaheed Ali Ahsan Mohammad Mojaheed ( bn, আলী আহসান মুহাম্মদ মুজাহিদ; 23 June 1948 – 22 November 2015) was a Bangladeshi politician who served as a Member of Parliament and as the Minister of Social Welf ...

, was also executed around the same time. Law Minister Anisul Huq claimed that Chowdhury and Mojaheed submitted a plea for mercy, which Chowdhury's family denied. Chowdhury was buried at his village home in Raozan Upazila, Chittagong on 22 November 2015.

Personal life

Chowdhury was married to Farhat Quader Chowdhury. Their children include Farzin, Hummam (b. 1983) and Fazlul. In August 2016,

Human Rights Watch Human Rights Watch (HRW) is an international non-governmental organization, headquartered in New York City, that conducts research and advocacy on human rights. The group pressures governments, policy makers, companies, and individual human r ...

and

Amnesty International Amnesty International (also referred to as Amnesty or AI) is an international non-governmental organization focused on human rights, with its headquarters in the United Kingdom. The organization says it has more than ten million members and sup ...

alleged that Hummam was arrested on 4 August 2016, and disappeared. Amnesty says multiple credible sources place him at

Rapid Action Battalion Rapid Action Battalion or RAB, is an anti-crime and anti-terrorism unit of the Bangladesh Police. This elite force consists of members of the Bangladesh Army, Bangladesh Police, Bangladesh Navy, Bangladesh Air Force, Border Guard Bangladesh, Ba ...

(RAB) headquarters in Dhaka on 12 August, but authorities have denied having him in custody. Hummam returned home in March 2017. Chowdhury's brother,

Giasuddin Quader Chowdhury Giasuddin Quader Chowdhury is a Bangladesh Nationalist Party politician and a former Jatiya Sangsad member from Chittagong-6 and Chittagong-7 constituencies. Career Chowdhury's candidacy in the 2008 election was cancelled by the returning offi ...

, was a member of parliament from Bangladesh Nationalist Party. Other two brothers were Saifuddin and Jamaluddin. Industrialist brothers

Salman F Rahman Salman Fazlur Rahman (born 23 May 1951) is a Bangladeshi businessman, advisor to the Prime Minister of Bangladesh and a member of the Jatiya Sangsad. Currently, he is holding the rank of a cabinet minister and serving as the Private Industry and ...

and Sohel Rahman were their cousins. On 3 January 2005, he met Sheikh Hasina and invited her to his son's, Fazlul, wedding.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Chowdhury, Salahuddin Quader 1949 births 2015 deaths People from Chittagong District Bangladesh Nationalist Party politicians Sadiq Public School alumni University of the Punjab alumni 5th Jatiya Sangsad members 6th Jatiya Sangsad members 7th Jatiya Sangsad members 8th Jatiya Sangsad members 9th Jatiya Sangsad members 21st-century executions by Bangladesh Bangladeshi people convicted of war crimes Bangladeshi politicians convicted of crimes Executed Bangladeshi people Executed politicians People executed by Bangladesh by hanging People executed for crimes against humanity National Democratic Party (Bangladesh) politicians Notre Dame College, Dhaka alumni Bangladeshi male criminals 1971 Bangladesh genocide perpetrators Executed mass murderers