As the nation mourns the martyred intellectuals today, a lack of visible initiatives by the government to bring back two infamous war criminals, Chowdhury Mueen Uddin and Ashrafuzzaman Khan, who planned and executed the killings of hundreds of intellectuals during the Liberation War in 1971, prolongs Bangladesh's due justice.
Back in November, 2013, after 42 long years since the country's independence, the International Crimes Tribunal sentenced these two top al-Badr (local collaborators of the Pakistan army in 1971) leaders to death for committing crimes against humanity.
They were handed down death penalties for carrying out abduction, torture and murder of nine Dhaka University teachers, six journalists and three doctors during the War of Independence.
Six years have passed since the verdict, but these two war criminals are still fugitives in the eyes of law and it is believed that Ashraf and Mueen are currently living in the United States (US) and United Kingdom (UK) respectively, although Bangladeshi law enforcement agencies could not confirm the matter.
However, both convicts have denied the charges made against them multiple times in the past claiming that the verdict was politically motivated.
Where are they now?
It is widely known that Chowdhury Mueen Uddin fled Bangladesh right after December 16, 1971 and developed himself as a Muslim leader in the UK and took citizenship there.
He served as the vice-chairman of the East London Mosque, the London Muslim Centre and a director of Muslim Spiritual Care Provision at the National Health Service in the UK.
In December 2017, British newspaper The Sun reported that Mueen, one of Interpol's most wanted British fugitives, was leading a luxurious life in London.
The newspaper reported that Mueen was living in a $1,334,260 house in London. He was seen living a normal life in the British capital as he went out shopping and visited the local mosque without any obstruction.
He was even been photographed with Prince Charles at an Islamic event in Leicestershire, reported the newspaper.
Mueen claimed that the cases filed and evidence shown against him in the International Crimes Tribunal in Dhaka were "rubbish" and that he has launched an appeal against the Interpol red notice, added the British newspaper.
On the other hand, it is common knowledge that the other convict for war crimes during the Liberation War of Bangladesh, top al-Badr leader Ashrafuzzaman Khan is currently living in the US.
He is a known face among the South Asian Muslim communities and is a US citizen.
Ashrafuzzaman’s diary, which was recovered after the Liberation War from his Nakhalpara house in Dhaka, contained the plans and a list of targets for the killing that took place during the early hours of December 14, 1971.
Lack of measures to bring the war criminals back
It has been six years since Ashrafuzzaman and Mueen were given death penalties but the Bangladesh government is yet to take any effective measures to bring the criminal duo back to the country in order to execute the verdict, officials at the Home Ministry informed.
Adding to the number of factors that are not allowing Bangladesh to get the justice it deserves, both the war criminals are residing in such countries that are anti-capital and concerned officials have confirmed that the US and the UK will not allow extradition of the convicts who are now citizens of these two countries.
Bangladesh also does not have extradition treaties with the US and the UK.
When contacted, Home Ministry officials said they do not have any specific information regarding exactly where in the aforementioned countries the war criminal duo is living adding that it is tough to apply for extradition without this information.
Abu Hena Mostofa Zaman, Joint Secretary (Political-1) at the Home Ministry told Dhaka Tribune: "Officially we do not have any definite information regarding the whereabouts of Ashrafuzzaman and Mueen.
“But, the government is working on to trace their location and when found, initiatives will be taken to bring them back."
