Former Jamaat-e-Islami lawmaker Khalek Mondal, who was given the death penalty for crimes against humanity during the 1971 Liberation War, died in the prison cell of Khulna District Jail on Thursday.
Satkhira Superintendent of Police Kazi Moniruzzaman confirmed the matter to Dhaka Tribune.
The body will be handed over to the family members after the postmortem today.
Khalek is the son of the late Chan Mandal of Khalilnagar village in Baikari Union of Satkhira Sadar Upazila. Apart from this, he was the Ameer of Jamaat-e-Islami in Satkhira district and the Member of Parliament of Satkhira Sadar-2 Constituency.
On July 2, 2009, a case was filed against nine people including him for killing five people by slitting their throats and stabbing them with bayonets during the liberation war. The case was filed by Nazrul Islam Gazi, son of Shaheed Rustam Ali Gazi of Shimulbaria village of Sadar Upazila. The case was later referred to the International Crimes Tribunal.
Police arrested her during a meeting at Khalilnagar Mahila Madrasa in Sadar Upazila in the early hours of June 16, 2015. Later, among the three cases of crimes against humanity, he was arrested in the murder case of Shaheed Mustafa Gazi. After that, the International Criminal Tribunal's investigative body launched an investigation into the war criminals on August 7, 2015 - which lasted until February 5, 2017.
On February 8, 2017, the investigation agency of the tribunal gave an investigation report against Khalek Mandal, Khan Roknuzzaman of Palashpol area of the city, Abdullah Al Baki and Zahirul Islam alias Tikka. Out of the total of 33 prosecution witnesses, the tribunal heard 17 and handed down the verdict on March 24, 2022.
Abdullah Al Baki and Zahirul Islam alias Tikka have already died among the convicts. Khalek Mondal died on Thursday. Only Khan Roknuzzaman is alive but absconding.
Jailer Enamul Kabir of the Khulna District Jail said: "Due to illness, Khalek Mondal was sent to Khulna Jail from Satkhira Jail on the night of July 10 for treatment. After coming here, he was admitted to the prison cell of Khulna Medical College Hospital after processing.”
