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US deports Mohiuddin: Sent to Dhaka Jail on return from Los Angeles
By Staff Reporter
Mon, 18 Jun 2007, 13:35:00

After leading a fugitive life of nine years in the United States Lt Col (retd) Mohiuddin Ahmed, a killer of the founding father of Bangladesh, Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, was brought back to Dhaka yesterday from Los Angeles, as a US court rejected his appeal to stay.

Col Mohiuddin, one of 12 former army officers given death sentence for assassinating Sheikh Mujib and his family on August 15, 1975 through a bloody coup, was deported by the U.S. Homeland Security after a district court in California turned down his last appeal on June 14.

All the killers left Bangladesh after the coup and were absorbed in Bangladesh missions abroad following an understanding with the post ‘75 regimes.

Mohiuddin, 60, was a major at the time of the coup when most members of Sheikh Mujib's family were killed and his three and half year old elected government was toppled.

Mohiuddin was tried in absentia and sentenced to death in 1998 during the second Awami League (AL) government led by Mujib's daughter Sheikh Hasina, who was its Prime Minister.

While serving as a Bangladeshi diplomat in a Middle-Eastern country, Mohiuddin entered the United States on a visitor's visa in 1996. Since then, he has fought a long legal battle to stay in the U.S.A.

Of the convicts, only four Lt Col (Retd) Syed Farooq Rahman, Lt Col (Retd) Sultan Shahriar Rashid Khan, Lt Col (retd) Mohiuddin and Maj (retd) Bazlul Huda are behind the bar. Aziz Pasha died in Zimbabwe, two are living in Canada, the remaining persons, including Lt Col Rashid are reportedly living in unknown places outside Bangladesh.

The death sentence against the convicts has not yet been executed as their appeals are still pending before the Supreme Court.

Mohiuddin was flown in to Zia International Airport at about 12:18 noon by a Thai airplane (TG-321) from Los Angeles. Two officials of the US Homeland Security escorted him to the airport. The US officials handed him to the airport immigration. They left Dhaka for Bangkok by the return flight at 1:20pm.

Airport Thana police arrested the repatriated convict under Section 54 of the CrPc on his return. Clad in bulletproof jacket and helmet in his head, he was whisked in a convoy to the Chief Metropolitan Magistrate (CMM) court amidst foolproof security at about 1:35pm.

Police produced him in the court of Magistrate Shafique Anwar along with a report. The report reads: Mohiuddin is a condemned fugitive in the case of assassination of Sheikh Mujib on August 15, 1975. The case was filed with Dhanmondi police station in 1996.

The court was also informed that he was also an absconding accused in the Jail Killing Case filed with Lalbagh thana in 1975 as well as in Abdur Rab Serniabat Killing Case filed with Ramna thana in 1996.

After hearing the case statements, the court ordered that Mohiuddin be sent to Dhaka Central Jail with “custody warrant”. He was put behind bar at Dhaka central jail at about 2:00pm.

Although US Ambassador Patricia A Butenis refused to comment on Mohiuddin’s return terming it as an ‘internal matter’ of Bangladesh, a western envoy termed the incident as a ‘major diplomatic success’ of the interim government.

Mohiuddin is the first convict, who was brought back to the country from the most powerful western country. It may open the scope to bring other criminals back to Bangladesh, he said.

Earlier, the AL government brought back another convict of Bangabandhu murder case, Major (retd) Bazlul Huda from Thailand.

Meanwhile, Awami League (AL) yesterday expressed its gratitude to the Caretaker Government for bringing back one of the Bangabandhu’s killers, Col Mohiuddin.

Party Acting General Secretary Mukul Bose, after an exclusive meeting with AL President Sheikh Hasina at her Sudha Sadan residence, told journalists that the AL was satisfied with the development.

“In gratitude, we thanked the Caretaker Government for bringing back Bangabandhu’s killer Mohiuddin,” he said.

Foreign Affairs Adviser Dr Iftekhar Chowdhury said the Foreign Ministry had nothing to do with Mohiuddin after he was brought back to the country.

Advocate Anisul Haq, who was the Special Public Prosecutor (SPP) of the Bangabandhu Murder Case after the death of his father and the original SPP Advocate Sirajul Haq, yesterday said the convict could not be executed since the appeal hearing was not completed in the Supreme Court.

“The leave to appeal hearing is pending before the Supreme Court for over 5 years because there was not adequate number of judges at the Appellate Division,” he added.


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