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| {{Short description|A convicted war criminal and Islamist politician from Bangladesh.}}
| | #REDIRECT [[Abdul Quader Mollah]] |
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| | name = Abdul Quader Molla
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| | native_name = আব্দুল কাদের মোল্লা
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| | native_name_lang = bn
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| | birth_name =
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| | birth_date = {{Birth date|1948|8|14|df=yes}}
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| | birth_place = [[Amirabad, Bangladesh|Amirabad]], [[Faridpur District|Faridpur]], [[East Pakistan]]
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| | death_date = {{Death date and age|2013|12|12|1948|8|14|df=yes}}
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| | death_place = [[Old Dhaka Central Jail]], [[Dhaka]], [[Bangladesh]]
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| | death_cause = [[Execution by hanging]]
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| | resting_place = [[Faridpur District|Faridpur Sadar]], Bangladesh
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| | resting_place_coordinates = <!-- {{Coord|LAT|LONG|type:landmark|display=inline}} -->
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| | monuments =
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| | nationality =
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| | education =
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| | alma_mater = [[University of Dhaka]]
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| | occupation =
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| | organization = [[Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami|Jamaat e Islami]]
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| | known_for = Islamic Leader, Politics
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| | criminal_penalty = [[Capital punishment in Bangladesh|Death]]
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| | criminal_status = [[Executed]]
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| | spouse = Sanoara Jahan Peyari
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| | conviction = [[Crimes against humanity]]
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| '''Abdul Quader Molla''' ({{lang-bn|আব্দুল কাদের মোল্লা}}; 14 August 1948 – 12 December 2013)<ref name=bd1212>{{cite news |author1=Tanim Ahmed |author2=Biswadip Das |title=Quader Molla hangs, finally, for war crimes |url=http://bdnews24.com/bangladesh/2013/12/12/quader-molla-hangs-finally-for-war-crimes |newspaper=[[bdnews24.com]] |date=12 December 2022}}</ref> was a Bangladeshi Islamist leader, writer,<ref name="BBC-1">{{cite news | date=12 December 2013 | title=Bangladesh ''Islamist'' Abdul Kader Mullah hanged for war crimes | url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-25356034 | work=BBC News | access-date=19 December 2022}}</ref> and politician of the [[Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami]], who was convicted of war crimes and sentenced to [[Capital punishment in Bangladesh|death]] by the [[International Crimes Tribunal (Bangladesh)|International Crimes Tribunal, Bangladesh]] (ICT) set up by the [[government of Bangladesh]] and hanged. There were objections from the [[United Nations]], the governments of several countries, including [[Turkey]], and international human rights organizations<ref name=DS_summery-1>{{cite news |title=Summary of verdict in Quader Mollah case |url=http://www.thedailystar.net/newDesign/news-details.php?nid=268072 |newspaper=The Daily Star |date=6 February 2013 |access-date=11 December 2022}}</ref><ref name="CNN-1">{{cite news |author=Tania Rashid |date=12 December 2013 |title=Bangladesh hangs Islamist leader despite U.N. objections |url=http://www.cnn.com/2013/12/12/world/asia/bangladesh-islamist-hanging/index.html |publisher=CNN|access-date=13 December 2022}}</ref><ref name=guardian-1>{{cite news |title=Bangladesh jails Islamic party leader for life |url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2013/feb/05/bangladesh-jails-islamic-leader |newspaper=[[The Guardian]] |agency=Associated Press |date=5 February 2013 |access-date=6 February 2022}}</ref> but there was widespread support from the general public of Bangladesh for the execution.<ref>{{cite news |author1=Jason Burke |author2=Saad Hammadi |date=12 December 2013 |title=Bangladesh braces for violent protests after hanging of opposition leader |url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2013/dec/12/bangladesh-executes-appeal-abdul-quader-mollah-war-crimes |newspaper=The Guardian}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|title=Children of FFs happy with Quader Mollah's execution |url=http://www.daily-sun.com/index.php?view=details&archiev=yes&arch_date=14-12-2013&type=Children-of-FFs-happy-with-Quader-Mollah%E2%80%99s-execution&pub_no=704&cat_id=1&menu_id=2&news_type_id=1&index=10 |newspaper=Daily Sun |location=Dhaka |date=14 December 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131224121217/http://www.daily-sun.com/index.php?view=details&archiev=yes&arch_date=14-12-2013&type=Children-of-FFs-happy-with-Quader-Mollah%E2%80%99s-execution&pub_no=704&cat_id=1&menu_id=2&news_type_id=1&index=10 |archive-date=24 December 2013 |url-status=dead }}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.demotix.com/news/3483270/people-celebrate-victory-mollah-s-review-petition |title=People celebrate the victory of Mollah's review petition |work=[[Demotix]] |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151122135923/http://www.demotix.com/news/3483270/people-celebrate-victory-mollah-s-review-petition |archive-date=22 November 2015 |url-status=dead }}</ref><ref name="thedailystar1">{{cite news |author1=Wasim Bin Habib |author2=Tuhin Shubhra Adhikary |date=13 December 2013 |title=Butcher of Mirpur hanged |url=http://archive.thedailystar.net/beta2/news/butcher-of-mirpur-hanged/ |newspaper=The Daily Star}}</ref>
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| He was convicted on five of six counts of [[crimes against humanity]] and [[war crimes]] at his trial at the ICT, on 5 February 2013. A member of the [[Al-Badar]] militia during the [[Bangladesh Liberation War|liberation war]], Molla was convicted of killing 344 civilians and other crimes,<ref name=DS_summery-1 /><ref name=yn-1>{{cite news |author=Anis Ahmed |date=5 February 2013 |title=Bangladesh Islamist sentenced to life in prison for war crimes |url=https://news.yahoo.com/bangladesh-islamist-sentenced-life-prison-war-crimes-123137810.html |work=Yahoo |agency=Reuters |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130208030438/http://news.yahoo.com/bangladesh-islamist-sentenced-life-prison-war-crimes-123137810.html |archive-date=8 February 2013 |access-date=6 February 2022}}</ref> and was sentenced to life in prison.<ref name=bbcnews-1>{{cite news |title=Huge Bangladesh rally seeks death penalty for War Crimes |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-21383632 |work=BBC |date=8 February 2013 |access-date=9 February 2022}}</ref> This led to the [[2013 Shahbag protests]] that demanded capital punishment for the convicted war criminals<ref name=Al-Mahmood>{{cite news |author=Syed Zain Al-Mahmood |title=Bangladesh split as violence escalates over war crimes protests |url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2013/feb/23/protest-death-penalty-bangladesh |newspaper=The Observer |date=23 February 2022}}</ref> and the disbandment of Jamaat-e-Islami.<ref name=ajstream-1/> Jamaat-e-Islami started a violent counter-protest in the country, demanding the release of its convicted and accused leaders.
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| On 17 September 2013, after an amendment to the ICT law allowing the government, complainant, or informant to appeal an order of acquittal or order of sentencing,<ref name="autogenerated3">{{cite web|url=http://bangladeshtrialobserver.org/2013/03/07/amendment-of-international-crimes-tribunal-act-of-1973/ |title=Amendment of International Crimes Tribunal Act of 1973 |work=The Bangladesh Trial Observer |date=7 March 2013 |access-date=12 December 2022}}</ref> the [[Bangladesh Supreme Court]] ruled Molla guilty of murders and other war crimes, and converted his life sentence to a death sentence.<ref name="death sentence">{{cite web |url=http://www.supremecourt.gov.bd/scweb/case_history/case_history.php?div_id=1&case_id=601845 |title=Case history |publisher=Supreme Court |access-date=12 December 2013 |archive-url=https://archive.today/20130921020816/http://www.supremecourt.gov.bd/scweb/case_history/case_history.php?div_id=1&case_id=601845 |archive-date=21 September 2013 |url-status=dead}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |author1=Biswadip Das |author2=Suliman Niloy |date=17 September 2013 |title=Mirpur butcher Molla must die, says SC |url=http://bdnews24.com/bangladesh/2013/09/17/quader-molla-to-go-to-the-gallows-for-murders |newspaper=bdnews24 |access-date=12 December 2022}}</ref> He was scheduled to be [[List of methods of capital punishment|executed by hanging]] on 11 December.<ref name="thedailystar.net">{{cite news |title=Mollah execution stayed |url=http://www.thedailystar.net/news/mollah-execution-stayed |newspaper=The Daily Star |access-date=11 December 2022}}</ref> Due to more legal challenges, the execution was suspended<ref name="bdnews24.com">{{cite news |title=Molla's fate hangs in the balance |url=http://bdnews24.com/bangladesh/2013/12/11/molla-s-fate-hangs-in-the-balance |newspaper=bdnews24 |date=17 September 2013 |access-date=11 December 2022}}</ref> and then upheld; he was executed on 12 December.<ref name="prothom-1">{{cite news |script-title=bn:কাদের মোল্লার ফাঁসি কার্যকর |url=http://www.prothom-alo.com/bangladesh/article/97213 |newspaper=[[Prothom-alo]] |language=bn |date=13 December 2013 |access-date=13 December 2013 |archive-date=12 October 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161012204517/http://www.prothom-alo.com/bangladesh/article/97213 |url-status=dead }}</ref> He was the first person to have been executed for crimes committed during the [[Bangladeshi War of Independence|Bangladesh Liberation War]].
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| Quader Molla had unsuccessfully stood for [[Jatiyo Sangshad|parliament]] in [[1986 Bangladeshi general election|1986]] and [[June 1996 Bangladeshi general election|1996]], contesting the seat [[Faridpur-4]] for [[Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami|Jamaat-e-Islami]].<ref name=AD1>{{cite news |script-title=bn:কাদের মোল্লার যাবজ্জীবন : দ্বিতীয় রায় |trans-title=Kader Molla life sentence: the second verdict |url=http://www.amardeshonline.com/pages/printnews/2013/02/06/186543 |newspaper=[[Amar Desh]] |date=6 February 2013 |language=bn |access-date=20 April 2013 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130209203256/http://www.amardeshonline.com/pages/printnews/2013/02/06/186543 |archive-date=9 February 2022}}</ref>
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| ==Early life==
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| Abdul Quader Molla was born in the village of Amirabad, [[Faridpur District|Faridpur]], in 1948. He attended school at Amirabad Fazlul Huq Institute. He passed the H.S.C examination in 1966 and did BSc in 1968 from Rajendra College.<ref name=autogenerated1>{{Cite web |url=http://www.freejamatleaders.com/english/?page_id=138 |title=Abdul Quader Molla {{!}} Free Jamaat Leaders<!-- Bot generated title --> |access-date=13 December 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130129055653/http://www.freejamatleaders.com/english/?page_id=138 |archive-date=29 January 2013 |url-status=dead}}</ref> While studying, he was elected president of the Shahidullah Hall unit of the student wing of [[Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami]] – Islami Chatra Sangha.<ref name="DS_summery-1" /><ref name=AD1/>
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| Quader Molla worked as a senior teacher at Rifles Public School and College (now Bir Shreshtha Noor Mohammad Public College). He later became the acting principal of the institute for a short period during the regime of Ziaur Rahman. He was elected as the Vice President of Dhaka Journalists' Union for two consecutive terms in 1982 and 1983.<ref name=autogenerated2>[http://bdinn.com/articles/anatomy-of-verdict-against-abdul-quader-mollah/ Anatomy of verdict against Abdul Quader Mollah | BDINN.com<!-- Bot generated title -->] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131213155456/http://bdinn.com/articles/anatomy-of-verdict-against-abdul-quader-mollah/ |date=13 December 2013 }}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.alokitobangladesh.com/latest-news/2013/12/12/39738 |title=Molla's son Hasan Jamil Question 4 |work=Alokito Bangladesh |date=12 December 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131215030900/http://www.alokitobangladesh.com/latest-news/2013/12/12/39738 |archive-date=15 December 2013 |access-date=12 December 2022}}</ref> Molla was married to Sanwar Jahan.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://bdnews24.com/bangladesh/2013/12/10/quader-molla-to-hang-after-midnight |title=Quader Molla to hang after midnight |work=bdnews24 |date=10 December 2013 |access-date=12 December 2022}}</ref>
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| ==Political career==
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| In 1971 leaders of Jamaat opposed the independence movement in [[East Pakistan]]. As a member of Islami Chatra Sangha, Quader Molla joined its [[paramilitary force]], [[Al-Badar]], during the [[Liberation war of Bangladesh]].<ref name=DS_summery-1 /><ref name="economist">{{cite magazine |title=Blighted at birth |url=http://www.economist.com/node/16485517?zid=309&ah=80dcf288b8561b012f603b9fd9577f0e |magazine=The Economist |date=1 July 2010 |access-date=7 March 2022}}</ref> He was known as ''Butcher of Mirpur'' during the war.<ref>{{cite news |title=Bangladesh executes top Islamist leader Abdul Quader Molla for war crimes |url=http://www.ndtv.com/article/world/bangladesh-executes-top-islamist-leader-abdul-quader-molla-for-war-crimes-458072 |work=NDTV |agency=Agence France-Presse |date=12 December 2022}}</ref> Bangladesh achieved independence that year and eventually Jamaat was banned from political participation under the new government.
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| After [[Assassination of Sheikh Mujibur Rahman|assassination]] of the president [[Sheikh Mujibur Rahman]] in 1975 and a [[Military coups in Bangladesh#1975 coups|military coup]], the new government permitted Jamaat to participate in politics again. Quader Molla became active in the party. By 2010 he was assistant secretary general of the party. He was expelled from [[Bangladesh National Press Club]] in 2013.<ref name="bdnews24strip"/> In 1996, prior to the controversial [[February 1996 Bangladeshi general election|February elections]], he was arrested along with [[Awami League]] leader [[Tofael Ahmed]] under the [[Special Power Act, 1974]].<ref>{{cite magazine |title=Bangladesh Political Violence on All Sides |url=https://www.hrw.org/reports/pdfs/b/bangldsh/bangla966.pdf|magazine=[[Human Rights Watch]]/Asia |date=1 June 1996 |volume=8 |issue=6|page=3}}</ref>
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| As the verdict of a ruling asked by [[Bangladesh Supreme Court]], the registration of the Jamaat-e-Islami was cancelled on 1 August 2013.<ref name=autogenerated1 /><ref>{{cite news|title=HC declares Jamaat registration illegal |url=http://theindependentbd.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=180166:hc-cancels-registration-of-jamaat-as-political-party&catid=187:online-edition&Itemid=223 |newspaper=[[The Independent (Bangladesh)|The Independent]] |location=Dhaka |date=1 August 2013 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131217065607/http://theindependentbd.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=180166%3Ahc-cancels-registration-of-jamaat-as-political-party&catid=187%3Aonline-edition&Itemid=223 |archive-date=17 December 2013 }}</ref>
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| ==War crimes trial==
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| In the 21st century, the government of Bangladesh established an [[International Crimes Tribunal (Bangladesh)|International Crimes Tribunal]] to prosecute war crimes that were committed in 1971 during the liberation war. A formal charge was filed by the Prosecution against Abdul Quader Molla on 18 December 2011 in the form of a petition, as required under Section 9(1) of the 1973 Act.<ref name="DS_summery-1" />
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| He was charged with abetting the Pakistani army and actively participating in the [[1971 Bangladesh atrocities]]: [[Rape during the Bangladesh Liberation War|rape]] (including the [[Child rape|rape of minors]]) and [[mass murder]] of Bangladeshis in the [[Mirpur Thana|Mirpur]] area of [[Dhaka]] during the [[Bangladesh Liberation War]]. A member of the [[Razakars (Bangladesh)|Rajakar]] militia during the war, Molla was charged with killing 344 civilians.<ref name="DS_summery-1" /><ref name="guardian">{{cite news |author=Tahmima Anam |date=12 February 2013 |title=Shahbag protesters versus the Butcher of Mirpur |url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2013/feb/13/shahbag-protest-bangladesh-quader-mollah |newspaper=The Guardian |access-date=26 February 2013 |quote=Mollah smiled because for him, a man convicted of beheading a poet, raping an 11-year-old girl and shooting 344 people during the 1971 Bangladesh war of independence – charges that have earned him the nickname the Butcher of Mirpur}}</ref><ref name="yn-1"/>
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| ===Charges===
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| Charges filed against Quader Mollah by ICT were:<ref>{{cite news |title=Charges and verdicts against Molla |url=http://www.dhakatribune.com/crime/2013/dec/11/charges-and-verdicts-against-molla#sthash.B8dl7fu2.dpuf |newspaper=Dhaka Tribune |date=11 December 2022}}</ref>
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| *Charge 1: On Quader Molla's instruction, one of his aides named Akhter killed Pallab, a student of Bangla College and an organiser of the Liberation War, on 5 April 1971. Pallab was buried by the side of Kalapani Jheel along with several other bodies. Pallab was taken to an Eidgah at Mirpur-12, where he was shot to death.
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| *Charge 2: On 27 March 1971, Quader Molla's aides murdered pro-liberation poet [[Meherun Nesa]], her mother and two brothers at their house at Mirpur-6.
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| *Charge 3: On 29 March 1971, Abdul Quader Molla along with other members of Al Badr, Razakar and non-Bangalees detained [[Khondakar Abu Taleb|Khandakar Abu Taleb]] from Mirpur 10 bus stand and tied him up with a rope. He was brought to the Mirpur [[Jalladkhana Killing field|Jallad Khana Pump House]] and killed.
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| *Charge 4: On 25 November 1971, Quader Molla with his 70 accomplices went to the village of Khanbari and Ghotan Char, now Shaheed Nagar of Keraniganj, and abducted two unarmed freedom fighters from the house of Mozaffar Ahmed Khan. Freedom fighters Osman Gani and Golam Mostafa were brutally murdered by charging bayonet.
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| *Charge 5: Attack and indiscriminate shooting by Quader Molla and his gang killed hundreds of unarmed people of the two villages. Among them, 24 persons were named in the charge. On the early morning of 24 April, members of Pakistan occupation forces and around 50 non-Bangalees in the presence of Quader Molla raided Alubdi village of Mirpur and attacked unarmed villagers, killing 344 people.
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| *Charge 6: On 26 March 1971 in the evening, some Bihari and Pakistani soldiers led by Quader Molla killed Hazrat Ali and five members of his family at Mirpur. Entering his house, the soldiers shot dead Hazrat and killed wife Amina and daughters Khadija and Tahmina. That day they also killed his only son, two-year-old Babu, by bashing the baby against the ground.
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| ===Verdict===
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| On 5 February 2013, Molla was convicted of five of the six charges, and acquitted on one charge as it was determined it had not been proved by the prosecution. He was sentenced to life in prison and an additional 15 years for three of the charges in addition to the time he had been imprisoned since his arrest. The one remaining charge was dismissed after it was determined the prosecution had not proved it.<ref>{{cite news |title=Quader Molla charged |url=http://www.thedailystar.net/newDesign/news-details.php?nid=214753 |newspaper=The Daily Star |date=19 December 2011 |access-date=12 December 2022}}</ref>
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| When the court gave him a life sentence instead of the death penalty, which many expected, a smiling Molla celebrated the verdict by holding up two fingers in a "V" sign as he left the court.<ref>{{cite news |title=Bangladeshis demand death for war crimes convict Abdul Quader Mollah |url=http://www.ndtv.com/world-news/bangladeshis-demand-death-for-war-crimes-convict-abdul-quader-mollah-513519.htm |work=NDTV |agency= Associated Press |date=16 February 2022}}</ref>
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| ===Reaction after verdict===
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| Many activists reacted by protesting and demonstrating, demanding the [[Capital punishment in Bangladesh|death penalty]] and an end to extremism in politics. A major protest started at the [[Shahbag]] intersection in central Dhaka.<ref name="OUTRAGED">{{cite news |title=Outraged |url=http://www.thedailystar.net/newDesign/news-details.php?nid=268056 |newspaper=The Daily Star |date=6 February 2022}}</ref><ref name="Verdict surprises some top jurists">"[http://www.thedailystar.net/newDesign/news-details.php?nid=268185 Verdict surprises some top jurists]", ''The Daily Star'', 7 February 2013</ref> Bloggers and online activists called for further mass demonstration at Shahbag intersection.<ref name=ajstream-1>{{cite news |title=Bangladesh's rising voices |url=http://stream.aljazeera.com/story/201302190008-0022555 |access-date=21 February 2013 |work=[[Al Jazeera]] |date=19 February 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130223022108/http://stream.aljazeera.com/story/201302190008-0022555 |archive-date=23 February 2013 |url-status=dead }}</ref><ref name=Priyo_compilation>{{cite news|title=Compilation of Shahbag Movement: A new Sun Uplifts |url=http://news.priyo.com/2013/shahbag-square.html |publisher=Priyo.com |date=11 February 2013 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130212091522/http://news.priyo.com/2013/shahbag-square.html |archive-date=12 February 2013 }}</ref> Thousands of people joined the protest and the demonstration culminated in the [[2013 Shahbag protests]].<ref>{{cite news |title=Outrage explodes over verdict |url=http://www.thedailystar.net/newDesign/news-details.php?nid=268211 |newspaper=The Daily Star |date=7 February 2022}}</ref>
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| During the protests, hundreds of thousands of people held day-and-night vigils at Shahbag, refusing to leave until all those convicted of war crimes were sentenced to death.<ref name=bdnews-3>{{cite news |title=Masses rally for death sentence to all war criminals |url=http://bdnews24.com/bangladesh/2013/02/08/masses-rally-for-death-sentence-to-all-war-criminals |newspaper=bdnews24.com |date=8 February 2013 |access-date=9 February 2022}}</ref> A counter-protest against the trials and general strike was launched by Jamaat-e-Islami, as most of the accused were Jamaat leaders.
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| The [[Bangladesh Nationalist Party]] (BNP) had initially expressed support for Jamaat-e-Islami, a principal ally in their Four-Party Alliance in the 2000s.<ref name=War_criminals-1>{{cite news |title=Bangladesh war crimes trial: Key defendants |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-20970123 |work=BBC News |date=21 January 2012 |access-date=22 February 2022}}</ref> The BNP has commented on the Shahbag Protest, warning that the government should not be allowed to draw political mileage from the movement that demanded capital punishment for convicted war criminals.<ref name=BNP_Support-1>{{cite news | title=BNP cautiously welcomes Shahbag protests | url=http://ns.bdnews24.com/details.php?id=240576&cid=2 | access-date=13 February 2013 | newspaper=bdnews24.com | date=13 February 2013 | archive-url=https://archive.today/20130407190312/http://ns.bdnews24.com/details.php?id=240576&cid=2 | archive-date=7 April 2013 | url-status=dead}}</ref>
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| Responding to the demand of the Shahbag activists, on 13 February 2013, the National Press Club of Bangladesh stripped Quader Molla of his membership.<ref name="bdnews24strip">{{cite news |title=Molla, Kamaruzzaman stripped of Press Club membership |url=http://bdnews24.com/bangladesh/2013/02/13/molla-kamaruzzaman-stripped-of-press-club-membership |work=bdnews24 |date=13 February 2013 |access-date=13 February 2022}}</ref> On 17 February 2013, the Bangladeshi Parliament passed a bill amending the International Crimes (Tribunal) Act of 1973 which allowed the government, complainant, or informant to appeal an order of acquittal or order of sentencing.<ref name=autogenerated3 />
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| Jamaat members have also led protests against the trials, saying that the government is trying to suppress the opposition. It called for a general strike in Dhaka, shutting down activity in the city.
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| ===Controversies===
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| {{See also|2012 ICT Skype controversy}}
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| In December 2012, [[2012 ICT Skype controversy|conversations and emails]] between the chief judge of the ICT, [[Mohammed Nizamul Huq|Nizamul Huq]], and a Brussels-based lawyer were published in ''[[The Economist]]'', which revealed that the Bangladesh Government had pressured the ICT for a quick verdict.<ref Name="Economist1">{{cite magazine |title=The trial of the birth of a nation |url=https://www.economist.com/news/briefing/21568349-week-chairman-bangladeshs-international-crimes-tribunal-resigned-we-explain |magazine=The Economist |date=15 December 2012 |access-date=16 April 2022}}</ref> Following the revelations, Justice Nizamul Huq resigned from the tribunal.<ref Name="Economist1"/> The [[European Union]], the UK, [[Turkey]] and Australia expressed their concern as they believed the death penalty violated human rights.<ref>{{cite news |title=EU, UK, Australia concerned at Mollah's execution |url=http://www.risingbd.com/english/detailsnews.php?nssl=ceccbaaff99be20a857e00767f70b481&nttl=2013121101044110466#.UqsehfQW3xY |newspaper=Risingbd.com |access-date=13 December 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131218181456/http://www.risingbd.com/english/detailsnews.php?nssl=ceccbaaff99be20a857e00767f70b481&nttl=2013121101044110466#.UqsehfQW3xY |archive-date=18 December 2013 |url-status=dead}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |title=UK expresses concerns on Mollah execution |url=http://www.banglanews24.com/English/detailsnews.php?nssl=47fce94977802dbd31561cfc842b36bd&nttl=1012201382850 |archive-url=https://archive.today/20131213145806/http://www.banglanews24.com/English/detailsnews.php?nssl=47fce94977802dbd31561cfc842b36bd&nttl=1012201382850 |url-status=dead |archive-date=2013-12-13 |newspaper=BanglaNews24.com }}</ref> Two [[UN Human Rights Commission]] experts called on to halt the execution because of concerns that Abdul Quader Molla did not receive a fair trial.<ref name="CNN-1" />"The right of appeal is of particular importance in death penalty cases," said the [[Special Rapporteur (UN)]] on the independence of judges and lawyers, Gabriela Knaul.<ref name="OHCHR-1">{{cite web | url=http://www.ohchr.org/EN/NewsEvents/Pages/DisplayNews.aspx?NewsID=14077&LangID=E | title=UN human rights experts urge Bangladesh to stop the execution of Abdul Quader Mollah | access-date=17 December 2022}}</ref> [[Christof Heyns]], Special Rapporteur (UN) on [[summary execution]]s, said capital punishment "may be imposed only following a trial that complied with fair trial and due process safeguards. Only full respect for stringent due process guarantees distinguishes capital punishment as possibly permitted under international law from a summary execution, which by definition violates human rights standards."<ref name="UN-2">{{cite web | url=https://www.un.org/apps/news/story.asp?NewsID=46688&Cr=death+penalty&Cr1=#.Uq9L1SdYU1s | title=Amid fair trial concerns, UN experts urge Bangladesh to halt impending execution | access-date=17 December 2022}}</ref>
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| The [[International Commission of Jurists]] (ICJ) says the retrospective application of the amendment in Abdul Quader Molla's case is incompatible with Bangladesh's obligations under the [[International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights]] (ICCPR), including Article 15, which prohibits the imposition of a heavier penalty than provided for at the time the criminal offence was committed.<ref name="ICJ">{{cite web | url=http://www.icj.org/bangladesh-abdul-quader-mollah-death-sentence-violates-international-law/ | title=Bangladesh: Abdul Quader Mollah death sentence violates international law | publisher=[[International Commission of Jurists]] | date=17 September 2013 | access-date=17 December 2022}}</ref>
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| [[Sayeeda Warsi, Baroness Warsi|Baroness Warsi]] stated, "We further note that Abdul Quader Mollah was sentenced to death following an appeal permitted under retrospectively applied legislation, and that he was not permitted to review his sentence before the Supreme Court".<ref>{{cite news |title=Execution of Mollah - UN official calls for a stay - EU, UK worried at govt move |url=http://www.thedailystar.net/beta2/news/eu-uk-worried-at-execution-move/ |newspaper=The Daily Star}}</ref> [[Human Rights Watch]] said that the death sentence of Abdul Quader Molla violates fair trial standards, stating "Changing the law and applying it retroactively after a trial offends basic notions of a fair trial under international law."<ref Name="HRW1">{{cite web|url=https://www.hrw.org/news/2013/09/18/bangladesh-death-sentence-violates-fair-trial-standards |title=Bangladesh: Death Sentence Violates Fair Trial Standards |publisher=[[Human Rights Watch]] |date=18 September 2013 |access-date=18 September 2022}}</ref>
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| ===Death sentence and execution===
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| After the government had amended the war crimes law to allow a sentence to be appealed based on leniency of punishment, prosecutors appealed to the [[Supreme Court of Bangladesh]] and asked for it to upgrade Molla's sentence from life in prison to death.<ref name=ndtv>{{cite news |title=Bangladesh Islamist given last-minute stay of execution |url=http://www.ndtv.com/article/world/bangladesh-islamist-given-last-minute-stay-of-execution-457153 |work=NDTV |agency=Agence France-Presse|date=10 December 2022}}</ref> On 17 September 2013, the Supreme Court accepted the appeal and sentenced Molla to death.<ref name="death sentence"/> He was not given a right to appeal, as the war crimes law under which he was prosecuted did not have a provision granting that right.<ref name=ndtv/> Molla was one of five leaders of the largest Islamic Party, [[Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami|Jamaat-e-Islami]] condemned to death by Bangladesh's International Crimes Tribunal.<ref>{{cite news |title=Bangladesh hangs opposition leader |url=http://www.aljazeera.com/news/southasia/2013/12/bangladesh-politician-be-executed-20131212622649656.html |work=Al Jazeera English |date=12 December 2022}}</ref> He was scheduled to be [[List of methods of capital punishment|executed by hanging]] on 11 December 2013 at 0:01.<ref name="thedailystar.net" /> On 8 December, the International Crimes Tribunal issued an execution warrant for Molla, and delivered it to the relevant authorities. Prisons chief Main Uddin Khandaker then said that all preparations had been made and that Quader Molla's family had been asked to meet him prior to the execution. Molla refused to ask for a [[presidential pardon]] though the authorities approached him thrice on the matter.<ref>{{cite news |author=Haroon Habib |date=12 December 2013 |title=Jamaat leader Mollah executed |url=http://www.thehindu.com/news/international/south-asia/jamaat-leader-mollah-executed/article5452418.ece?ref=sliderNews |newspaper=The Hindu}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |title=Bangladesh stays execution of politician |url=http://www.aljazeera.com/news/southasia/2013/12/bangladesh-set-execute-opposition-leader-20131210143823373364.html |work=Al Jazeera |date=10 December 2013 |access-date=11 December 2022}}</ref>
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| Molla's lawyers asked the Supreme Court to halt the execution and allow him to appeal, as Bangladesh's constitution grants all death row prisoners the right of appeal. Supreme Court chamber judge Syed Mahmoud Hossain accepted these arguments issued a stay of execution order to give Molla time to appeal on 11 December 2013, just 90 minutes before he was scheduled to be executed.<ref name="bdnews24.com" /><ref name=ndtv/> Following two hours of hearings, Chief Justice Muzammel Hossain adjourned the hearing till the next day. Amongst the defence's arguments was that the state was proceeding with preparations for the execution without completing all necessary legal procedures.<ref>{{cite news |title=Bangladesh court to decide Abdul Kader Mullah execution |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-25322261 |work=BBC News |access-date=12 December 2022}}</ref>
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| The appellate division of Bangladesh Supreme Court, which raised Quader Molla's life sentence to a death penalty, rejected his petition to review the ruling.<ref>{{cite news |title=SC refuses review, Quader Molla going to gallows |url=http://bdnews24.com/bangladesh/2013/12/12/sc-refuses-review-molla-going-to-gallows |work=bdnews24 |date=14 September 2013 |access-date=12 December 2022}}</ref> Attorney General Mahbubey Alam said that the government would decide on a new execution date as "there are no more barriers to execute Quader Mollah. There is no chance of any confusion." His lawyer, Khandaker Mahbub Hossain, added that "my client has been deprived of fair justice, but since the highest court has made the decision, we have nothing more to say."<ref name="abc"/>
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| Quader Molla was hanged in [[Dhaka Central Jail]] on 12 December 2013 at 22:01.<ref name=bd1212 /><ref>{{cite news |title=Bangladesh executes opposition leader |url=http://www.aljazeera.com/news/southasia/2013/12/bangladesh-politician-be-executed-20131212622649656.html |work=Al Jazeera |date=12 December 2013 |access-date=12 December 2022}}</ref> The Bangladesh Jamaat-E-Islami called it a "political killing". More significantly, a segment of Bangladeshi people and some human rights observant in Bangladesh and abroad, they do, believe the hanged of Quader Molla was not only a "political killing" but also a "judicial killing."<ref name=autogenerated5>{{cite news |title=Bangladesh execution sparks violent protests |url=http://www.aljazeera.com/news/asia/2013/12/bangladesh-execution-sparks-violent-protests-201312135743734649.html |work=Al Jazeera English |date=13 December 2022}}</ref> He was later buried in his village of Faridpur.<ref>{{cite news |title=Abdul Quader Mollah buried; Bangladesh clashes kill 4, injure dozens |url=http://www.upi.com/Top_News/World-News/2013/12/13/Violence-wracks-Bangladesh-following-Mollah-hanging/UPI-10201386930656/ |work=UPI |date=13 December 2022}}</ref>
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| ==Domestic reaction==
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| [[2013 Shahbag protests|Shahbag protesters]], who started rallying from 5 February 2013 for the capital punishment of Quader Molla, expressed their delight after the execution.<ref name="thedailystar1"/><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.demotix.com/photo/3486592/bangladesh-celebration-after-abdul-quader-molla-execution |title=Bangladesh: celebration after Abdul Quader Molla execution |work=Demotix |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131228020216/http://www.demotix.com/photo/3486592/bangladesh-celebration-after-abdul-quader-molla-execution |archive-date=28 December 2013 |url-status=dead }}</ref>
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| After the schedule and the execution of Quader Molla, [[Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami]] started violent protest and called for general strike on 11, 12 and 15 December 2013. Almost 25 persons died and many other injured in different parts of the country during their protests.<ref name="abc">{{cite news |author=Julhas Alam |title=Bangladesh Clears Execution of Opposition Leader |url=https://abcnews.go.com/International/wireStory/bangladesh-halts-execution-opposition-leader-21177378 |work=ABC News |date=5 December 2013 |access-date=12 December 2022}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |title=25 dead as violence continues in Bangladesh |url=http://www.thehindu.com/news/international/south-asia/25-dead-as-violence-continues-in-bangladesh/article5462521.ece |newspaper=The Hindu |agency=Associated Press |date=15 December 2022}}</ref> During the protests JEI activists torched homes and businesses of government supporters and firebombed train stations and blocked roads. The party called the execution "political murder" and warned of exacting revenge for "every drop" of his blood. Two activists from the ruling Awami League were hacked to death in Kalaroa; one other person died in clashes between police and JEI supporters in Noakhali, while a driver was reportedly killed after JEI protesters chased him down.<ref name=autogenerated5 /> As a result of the violent reaction, and in combination with violence in the lead up to the [[2014 Bangladeshi general election]], Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina vowed to crack down on the violence.<ref>{{cite news |title=More dead as unrest continues in Bangladesh |url=http://www.aljazeera.com/news/asia/2013/12/more-dead-as-unrest-continues-bangladesh-2013121582314417751.html |work=Al Jazeera English |date=15 December 2022}}</ref> The rioting, and the preceding opposition blockade, caused economic losses, with fear of escalating protests, prior to the election.<ref>{{cite news |title=Bangladesh could be set for prolonged unrest |url=http://www.aljazeera.com/indepth/features/2013/12/bangladesh-could-be-set-prolonged-unrest-2013121413637178691.html |newspaper=Al Jazeera English |date=14 December 2022}}</ref>
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| ==International reaction==
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| The international media did not cover the execution except with brief agency reports. Very few governments reacted to the hanging. China, the world's most active user of the death penalty, did not issue any official statements at any level. [[India]], Bangladesh's biggest neighbour and No. 1 trading partner, did not issue any official reaction although the Indian media actively covered the execution and the buildup to the same.{{citation needed|date=October 2022}} Protests against his execution were held in [[London]] and [[Pakistan]].<ref>{{cite news |title=Mollah execution divides Bangladesh |url=http://stream.aljazeera.com/story/201312132153-0023252 |work=Al Jazeera English |date=13 December 2022}}</ref>
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| ===Official reactions===
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| *{{QAT}} – The state of [[Qatar]] condemned the execution and stated that it was concerned that Molla's death would exacerbate tensions.<ref name=Qatar>{{cite web|title=Qatar condemns capital punishment against Assistant SG of Jamaat-e-Islami Party Bangladesh|url=http://www.mofa.gov.qa/en/SiteServices/MediaCenter/News/Pages/News20131215084044.aspx|access-date=19 December 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131219074114/http://www.mofa.gov.qa/en/SiteServices/MediaCenter/News/Pages/News20131215084044.aspx|archive-date=19 December 2013|url-status=dead}}</ref>
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| *{{PAK}} - The [[National Assembly (Pakistan)|National Assembly]] of the [[Islamic Republic of Pakistan]] passed a resolution vote to condemn the hanging of Abdul Quader Molla.<ref>{{cite news |title=NA resolution condemns Abdul Quader Molla's execution |url=http://www.thenews.com.pk/Todays-News-13-27335-NA-resolution-condemns-Abdul-Quader-Mollas-execution |newspaper=The News International |location=Karachi |date=17 December 2022}}</ref> Interior Minister [[Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan]] described the punishment of Bangladesh Jamaat-i-Islami leader as "judicial murder".<ref>{{cite news |title=Nisar terms Quader Molla's hanging a judicial murder |url=http://www.dawn.com/news/1074453/nisar-terms-quader-mollas-hanging-a-judicial-murder |newspaper=DAWN}}</ref>
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| ===Reaction from other groups===
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| *[[File:Muslim Council of Britain (logo).jpg|30px]] [[Muslim Council of Britain]] – "It is a sad day for Bangladesh and sad day for democracy and justice. The trial process of Abdul Quader Molla was fraught with flaws and the international community including the UN and all respected Human Rights organisations world over strongly criticised the trial as unfair, biased and politically driven."<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.mcb.org.uk/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=2427:pr-template&catid=40:press-release |title=Muslim Council of Britain condemns the execution of Bangladesh's opposition Leader |website=Muslim Council of Britain (MCB) |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131219013333/http://www.mcb.org.uk/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=2427%3Apr-template&catid=40%3Apress-release |archive-date=19 December 2013 |access-date=27 October 2016 |url-status=dead }}</ref>
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| *[[Islamic Circle of North America]] – "This is a political murder and a dark day for justice."<ref name="ICNA">{{cite press release | url=http://www.icna.org/bangladesh-leaders-execution-is-a-political-murder/ | title=Bangladesh leader's execution is a political murder | publisher=[[ICNA]] | date=13 December 2013 | access-date=19 December 2022}}</ref>
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| ==See also==
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| * [[List of Bangladeshi criminals]]
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| ==References==
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| {{reflist|colwidth=30em}}
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| {{Portalbar|Bangladesh|Biography|Politics|Islam}}
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| {{Islamism in Bangladesh}}
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| {{DEFAULTSORT:Molla, Abdul Quader}}
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| [[Category:1948 births]]
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| [[Category:2013 deaths]]
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| [[Category:Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami politicians]]
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| [[Category:Bangladeshi Islamists]]
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| [[Category:Bangladeshi people convicted of crimes against humanity]]
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| [[Category:Bangladeshi people convicted of war crimes]]
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| [[Category:Executed Bangladeshi people]]
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| [[Category:1971 Bangladesh genocide perpetrators]]
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| [[Category:21st-century executions by Bangladesh]]
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| [[Category:People from Faridpur District]]
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| [[Category:Executed politicians]]
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| [[Category:People executed for crimes against humanity]]
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| [[Category:People executed for war crimes]]
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| [[Category:Bangladeshi politicians convicted of crimes]]
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| [[Category:Bangladeshi male criminals]]
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| [[Category:People executed by Bangladesh by hanging]]
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| [[Category:Executed mass murderers]]
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