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FM seeks foreign diplomats’ help to get Bangabandhu killers back


Published : 16 Aug 2020 10:34 PM | Updated : 07 Sep 2020 01:47 PM

Foreign Minister Dr AK Abdul Momen on Sunday in an unprecedented virtual gathering of all foreign diplomats sought cooperation from the countries to locate and bring back fugitive killers of Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman.

 “Five of the killers are still at large. We know where two of them are living and the rest three we don’t know. We request all of our friendly countries that they should help us in identifying those fugitives and send back to Bangladesh to face justice,” he said.

“We want to establish rule of law, justice and good governance,” the foreign minister said while giving the details of the gruesome murder of Bangabandhu on August 15 in 1975.

The foreign ministry organised the virtual meeting with Bangladesh’s all foreign diplomats stationed both in Dhaka and New Delhi (non-resident diplomats) marking the National Mourning Day to commemorate the 45th anniversary of martyrdom of Bangabandhu.

Law Minister Anisul Huq and State Minister for Foreign Affairs M Shahriar Alam also spoke at the discussion while Foreign Secretary Masud Bin Momen delivered the welcome remarks, the foreign ministry said on Sunday.

Around 83 diplomats joined the discussion.

Bangabandhu was killed along with most of his family members at his Dhanmondhi-32 home on Aug 15, 1975. His daughters Hasina and Sheikh Rehana survived as they were abroad at the time.

But an Indemnity Ordinance was issued by the following military government, which had saved the self-proclaimed killers from facing justice.

The ordinance was abrogated in November 1996 when the Awami League returned to power, paving the way for bringing the killers to justice.

After a lengthy trial, the court convicted 12 suspects and awarded them the death penalty in 2010. Five were hanged on Jan 28, 2010, one died of natural causes.

One of the six fugitive convicted killers, Abdul Mazed, was caught recently and executed by the government in April.

MA Rashed Chowdhury is living in the US while SHMB Noor Chowdhury is in Canada.

The government cannot say the whereabouts of the other absconding convicts - Abdur Rashid, Shariful Haque Dalim and Risaldar Moslemuddin.

At the beginning of the discussion, a one-minute silence was observed paying tributes to Bangabandhu and his family members who were killed.