Bangabandhu's murderer Noor Chowdhury is expected to be returned

Tayeeduddin Khan

27 Nov 2023, 19:44

Writer : Tayeeduddin Khan

A long cherished happy news came to us after a long time. The current location of Noor Chowdhury, the self-confessed killer of Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, has been traced and a Canadian TV channel has produced a report on the killer. The investigative report was broadcast by the country's state television CBC. It took seven months to complete the report.

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The 42-minute report entitled 'The Assassin Next Door' was aired on last Friday midnight Bangladesh time in the investigative segment of the television 'The Fifth State'. The report shows Noor Chowdhury on the balcony of his apartment in Toronto. Apart from this, Noor Chowdhury was seen sitting on the driving seat while leaving the car. But he drove away without talking to the reporter. The search team of the Fifth State has tracked him down for a long time.

Etobic is an area 13 kilometers away from Toronto, Canada. There, the 70-year-old murderer of Bangabandhu lives on the third floor of a condominium. He comes to the balcony every afternoon. Although living freely in Canada, he was seen on camera for the first time.

Noor Chowdhury's absconding in Canada and his return to Bangladesh to serve his sentence for murder have emerged in the report. In the report, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina said, 'Canada is looking at the human rights of the murderers but not looking at the human rights of me or our relatives.'

The High Commissioner of Bangladesh appointed to Canada said, except for this one issue, Bangladesh's relationship with Canada is friendly. Not only as a Bangladeshi High Commissioner, but as a common man of Bangladesh, I want him to be sent back to Bangladesh. Former Canadian opposition leader and minister Stockwell Day said that it should be addressed even though it happened 50 years ago.

The report shows how Noor Chowdhury was involved in the assassination of Bangabandhu, according to the lawyer of the Bangabandhu murder case and the current Minister of Law, Justice and Parliamentary Affairs, Anisul Haque, the investigation officer Abdul Kahar Akand and through various evidences.

Noor worked as a diplomat in different countries after Bangabandhu was shot dead. When Bangabandhu's daughter Sheikh Hasina came to power in 1996, he fled Hong Kong and went to Canada. In 2006, Canada rejected his refugee claim and ordered him to leave the country. But if he returns to the country, he will be sentenced to death and asked for a security risk assessment. He is staying there taking advantage of Canada's anti-death penalty position.

Six murderers of Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman have been hanged after completion of judicial proceedings in several rounds in the last 14 years. Five more convicts are absconding. They are Abdur Rashid, Rashed Chowdhury, Shariful Haque Dalim, Risaldar Moslehuddin and Noor Chowdhury. The whereabouts of the first three are unknown. Rumors were published several times that Moslehuddin was absconding in India, but nothing was known later. And Nur Chowdhury is in Canada - everyone knows that. But due to the death penalty in Bangladesh, Canada made it clear that it would not hand over Noor. 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.

We know that during 2004-2008, Canada wanted to send Noor Chowdhury back. But the BNP-Jamaat government and the 1/11 government were not ready to accept Noor for some unknown reason. Apart from this, Khandkar Moshtaq's foster-son Rafiq Ahmed served as the ambassador of Bangladesh in Canada for a certain period of time, which created obstacles in the return of the prisoners.

We have already learned that our Honorable Ambassador Khalilur Rahman is in close contact with the Government of Canada regarding Noor Chowdhury. Finally, thanks to the CBC News staff for producing such investigative reports.

It is necessary to say that after the killing of Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman and his family, the successive governments did not prosecute this brutal murder but took all kinds of steps to stop the prosecution. Because of that, the trial had to wait until Awami League came to power in 1996.

*Lawyer of Supreme Court. Columnist. First initiator of filing case against the killers of Bangabondhu.

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