& çâÌæÚUæð´ ·¤è ¥ôÚU Îð¹Ùæ ÁæÚUè ÚU¹ð´ ¥ÍæüÌ ¥ÂÙð ÜÿØ ÂÚU ŠØæÙ ÚU¹ð´Ð ãæÚU Ù ×æÙð´, €UØô´ç·¤ ·¤æ× ·¤ÚUÙð âð ¥æÂ·¤ô ©gðàØ ·¤è Âýæç# ãôÌè ãñ ¥õÚU ÁèßÙ ·¤æ ¹æÜèÂÙ ÎêÚU ãôÌæ ãñÐ ÖÜð ãè ÁèßÙ ×ð´ ç·¤ÌÙè Öè ·¤çÆÙæ§ü €UØô´ Ù ¥æ°, çÁ™ææâæ ¥õÚU ©ˆâæã ÕÙæ° ÚU¹ð´Ð ŠØæÙ ÚU¹ð´, ÜÿØ ã×ðàææ ¥æÂ·Ô¤ Âæâ ãôÌð ãñ´ çÁ‹ãð´ ÂæÙð ·Ô¤ çÜ° ÂýØæâ ¥æÂ ·¤Öè Öè àæéM¤ ·¤ÚU â·¤Ìð ãñ´Ð

Conviction of Mueen, Ashraf

Deadline for appeal over

Staff Correspondent
Condemned war criminals Chowdhury Mueen Uddin and Ashrafuzzarnan Khan have apparently lost their opportunity to challenge their conviction with the Appellate Division as the deadline to appeal expired yesterday.
The convicted ringleaders of Al-Badr force did not make any visible steps to appeal against the verdict of the International Crimes Tribunal-2. Mueen in a news interview has rather said he will not appeal against the verdict.
Sources in the foreign ministry and the prosecution said although a process was underway to bring the convicts back, there was not much hope left as the laws of the countries they were living did not support extradition in case of death sentence. Besides, Bangladesh had no extradition treaty with the UK and the US, where they had been living for decades, they added.
SEE PAGE 2 COL 5
FROM PAGE 16
The Tribunal-2 on November 3 handed down death penalty to Mueen and Ashraf for killing 18 intellectuals during the Liberation War in 1971. As per the relevant laws, the convicts had the right to lodge an appeal against the verdict within a month of deliveringjudgement.
The duo, both aged 65, were tried in absentia, as the tribunal's efforts to bring them back had failed. Mueen lives in the UK and Ashraf in the US.
Rana Dasgupta, a senior member of the prosecution, told The Daily Star that Mueen had already made a media statement about the verdict, meaning he was "very much aware" of it.
"Even after knowing the next legal procedure, he did not file an appeal within the deadline, so he won't get a chance to file an appeal," he added.
MK Rahman, an accting attorney general, said Mueen and Ashraf would not be "allowed" to file an appeal after the deadline. On extradition of the convicts, Rahman said, "A process is underway through diplomatic channels."
Tajul Islam, a defence counsel for other war crimes cases, said if Mueen and Ashraf were arrested or they surrendered and sought permission of the Appellate Division to file an appeal, the apex court had the discretionary power to condone the delay.
About execution of the verdict, AKM Nasiruddin Mahmud, registrar and spokesperson of the tribunal, told The Daily Star yesterday that they had sent a warrant of arrest along with a copy of the verdict to the police headquarters for necessary action.
The police had sent the papers to the home ministry, which, 10 to 12 days ago, informed the tribunal's registrar office that they had already sent the papers to the foreign ministry, he added.
A senior official of the foreign ministry told The Daily Star last night they had sent the tribunal's documents to the Bangladesh missions in the UK and the US for submitting those to the authorities concerned of these countries.