Giasuddin Quader Chowdhury denied bail in defamation case

BNP Vice Chairman Giasuddin Quader Chowdhury, younger brother of executed war criminal Salauddin Quader Chowdhury, has been denied bail – and sent to jail – by a Chittagong court.

The bench – consisting of justices Shibly Kumar Dey and Joyonti Rani Roy – passed the sentence on Thursday afternoon.

Four cases were filed against Giasuddin for making defamatory remarks about Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina at an event – commemorating the 37th anniversary of Ziaur Rahman’s death – in Chittagong’s Fatikchhari upazila on May 30 this year. 

Inspector Bijon Kumar Barua of Chittagong District Court said: "Giasuddin Quader Chowdhury prayed for bail in all four cases. The court granted him bail in three cases, but rejected the bail prayer in a case filed for allegedly threatening Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina with death.”

According to the case document, speaking at the event, Giasuddin Quader Chowdhury said: “Your (Sheikh Hasina’s) condition will be worse than your father’s. There will be none to mourn for your death like there were in the case of your father.” 

A Chittagong court issued an arrest warrant for him on May 31. 

Police subsequently raided his house on Suhrawardy Avenue the following night, but he was not home. 

Giasuddin is a nomination-aspirant for BNP for the Fatikchhari 2 constituency.