US Senator Harry Reid assured Foreign Minister Dipu Moni of “all sorts of cooperation” in extraditing Rashed Chowdhury, a convicted killer of Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, and Ashrafuzzaman Khan, a war crimes suspect.
The foreign minister discussed the extradition issue in a meeting with the US senator held in Las Vegas, Nevada on Monday, according to a ministry media release issued Wednesday, reports UNB.
In the hour-long meeting, Dipu expressed hopes that the US government would help Bangladesh ensure the rule of law and uphold human rights by repatriating the two.
Rashed Chowdhury, a self-proclaimed killer of Bangabandhu, was convicted. The war crimes tribunal has indicted alleged al-Badr leaders Ashrafuzzaman for the killing of intellectuals in 1971.
Welcoming Dipu Moni to Las Vegas, Reid praised Bangladesh for playing a pioneering role in various fields and showed keen interest in Bangladesh’s social development issues.
Dipu informed him of the significant progress Bangladesh had made in the areas of women’s empowerment, primary and mass education, infant and maternal mortality rates and in regards to the Millennium Development Goals.
She also briefed Reid on Bangladesh government’s steps to ensure labour rights and workplace safety in the RMG sector, and updates on the war crimes trial and the political developments.