Canada's national television CBC aired an investigative report on murderer Nur Chowdhury, who was sentenced to death for killing Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, the Founder of Bangladesh. The 42-minute report entitled 'The Assassin Next Door' was aired on the television's investigative division 'The Fifth State'. The report details how this murderer is still so comfortable in Canada.
This report highlights the perspective of Mujibs's killer Nur Chowdhury's stay in Canada and interviews of various important people. Among them are Bangladesh Prime Minister and Mujib's daughter Sheikh Hasina, Law Minister Anisul Haque, Bangladesh High Commissioner to Canada Khalilur Rahman, several Canadian legal experts and several officers of the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) investigating the Mujib murder case.
After a long trial of Mujib's murder, the five killers were hanged in 2010. One of the murderers died in Zimbabwe. Six killers are on the run. They are Abdur Rashid, Shariful Haque Dalim, M Rashed Chowdhury, Nur Chowdhury, Abdul Majed and Risaldar Moslemuddin. Among them, Nur Chowdhury is in Canada and Rashed Chowdhury is in the United States.
Does Canada not show more mercy to the murderer - such questions are constantly coming from different places. To discuss it, it is important to discuss the whole matter first.
After the assassination of Mujib on August 15, 1975, Nur Chowdhury was given a job at the Bangladesh Embassy in Brazil and Tehran, Iran by the then Junta Govt of Bangladesh. After Sheikh Hasina's party Awami League came to power in 1996, Nur Chowdhury went to Canada and sought asylum there.
In 2006, Canada's Immigration and Refugee Board said Nur Chowdhury's application was inadmissible. And with that he was ordered extradited from Canada. However, the Supreme Court of Canada said in an order that it is against the law to expel a person who has been sentenced to death. According to the CBC report, Nur Chowdhury has used the opportunity of this law in Canada.
Earlier Noor Chowdhury claimed that he was not involved in Bangabandhu's murder. However, Law Minister Anisul Haque said in the interview given in that report that it has been proved that Nur Chowdhury was directly involved in the assassination of Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib on August 15, 1975.
The Supreme Court of Canada, however, has also said that in 'exceptional circumstances' a person sentenced to death can be extradited. The CBC report raised the question, Why is Nur Chowdhury not being put at this level? Robert Currie, a professor of international criminal law at Canada's Dalhousie University, said Nur Chowdhury could be included under this exception.
Khalilur Rahman, High Commissioner of Bangladesh in Canada, said that he has requested the Canadian government several times to raise the issue of Nur Chowdhury's return to the Supreme Court of Canada. But there was no response from the Canadian government.
Now the question naturally looms in civil society about Canada's role. Is Canada more vocal about the human rights of the killer than the victim?
Sheikh Hasina raised the same question. She asked the reporter, 'killers have human rights. But where are my human rights?' Sheikh Hasina urged Canada to address the matter and ensure justice.
Former Canadian opposition leader and minister Stockwell Day said it should be addressed even though it happened 50 years ago.
CBC also goes to the Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada. They want to know Chowdhury's current condition there. In a written statement, the board said it would not discuss these matters without an individual's permission because of Canadian privacy laws.
However, a subsection of the Canadian law says that the criminal can be sent back to his country if he is accused of committing a crime against humanity. Bangladesh is still hopeful to take Nur back to the country based on this subsection.
Bay of Bengal Post
