Salahuddin Quader Chowdhury (Bengali: সালাউদ্দিন কাদের চৌধুরী; 13 March 1949 – 22 November 2015) was a Bangladeshi politician, convicted war criminal, and six times selected member of the parliament, who served as the adviser of parliamentary affairs to the Prime Minister Khaleda Zia during 2001 – 2006.He was a member of the Standing Committee of Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP). He was hanged to death by the International Crimes Tribunal of Bangladesh on 22 November 2015 for crimes against humanity during the Bangladesh Liberation War. Questions have been raised from sources internal and external to Bangladesh regarding the fairness and integrity of the tribunal that convicted him. On 1 October 2013, he was sentenced to death by International Crimes Tribunal for charges including torture, murder and genocide during that war. High Court rejected his review petition on 18 November 2015. According to the jail officials, Salahuddin asked for mercy petition to the President of Bangladesh, which was rejected, nevertheless several sources reported that the appeal was false.

Early life

Chowdhury was from a political family of Raozan upazila, Chittagong, Bangladesh. His father, Fazlul Quader Chowdhury, was a Speaker of Pakistan National Assembly and Acting President of Pakistan from time to time before the independence of Bangladesh. He actively opposed the creation of independent Bangladesh

Political career

Chowdhury was a member of the Bangladesh Parliament. Mr. Chowdhury was a member of the standing committee of Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) until his death.

Chowdhury served as a member of the parliament for seven terms, starting from 1979, 1986, 1988, 1991 , 1996, 2001 and 2008. He was re-elected into office from the same constituency, Rangunia in 1996, 2001 and finally in 2008.

The War Crimes Tribunal

He was initially held at a hidden location termed Safe House in Dhanmondi and questioned by the special branch of police, and the trial for his involvements in the 1971 Bangladesh genocide were due to begin in August 2011.

Investigators have submitted charges against Chowdhury in International Crimes Tribunal. Some of them are listed below:

1. Abduction of 7 Hindu minority and killing 6 of them on 4–5 April 1971.
2. Accompanying Pakistan army at the time of killing Maddhya Gohira Hindu Parha in Raozan on 13 April 1971.
3. Killing Kundeshwari Oushadhalaya owner and social worker Nutan Chandra Singha 13 April 1971.
4. Accompanying Pakistan army at the time of killing about 32 people, arson, looting and raping.
5. Complicity in killing of Satish Chandra Palit on 14 April, burning his house and deportation of his family.
6. Combined attack with Pakistan army to Hindu populated Shakhapura village at Boalkhali and killing 76 people.

On 1 October 2013, International Crimes Tribunal sentenced Chowdhury to death by hanging for nine out of the 23 charges brought against him including torture, murder and genocide of some 200 civilians and collaborating with Pakistan's army during the 1971 Bangladesh Liberation War. His party BNP argued that the trial is politically motivated. On 18 November 2015, Bangladesh Supreme Court dismissed the appeal of Salahuddin, upholding the death sentence. According to some sources, Salahuddin asked for mercy petition to the President of Bangladesh, but his appeal was rejected, although his members of family considered it as a lie.

Death

On 22 November 2015,12:45 AM, GMT+6, Chowdhury was hanged at Dhaka Central Jail. The execution was reported by the Minister for Justice, Anisul Huq. At the same time and place, another Bangladeshi politician and Member of the parliament, Ali Ahsan Mohammad Mojaheed was hanged for war crime charges.

Salauddin was buried at his village home in Raozan of Chittagong on 22 November 2015.