Md. Shakhawat Hossain, better known as Maulana Shakhawat,[2] was a Bangladeshi politician. He represented the Jessore-6 constituency as a Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami and a Bangladesh Nationalist Party member in the 5th and 6th Jatiya Sangsad respectively.[3][4] He later served as a presidium member of the Jatiya Party.[5]

Md. Shakhawat Hossain
মোঃ সাখাওয়াৎ হোসেন
Member of Parliament
for Jessore-6
In office
5 March 1991 – 24 November 1995
Preceded byAbdul Kader
Succeeded byASHK Sadek
Personal details
Born1953/1954[1]
Jessore District, East Pakistan
Died11 December 2021 (aged 68/69)
Bangladesh
NationalityBangladeshi

In August 2016, International Crimes Tribunal sentenced Hossain to death for war crimes.[6] He was convicted of killing two persons, raping one and torturing two others in Keshabpur Upazila of Jessore District during the Bangladesh Liberation War in 1971.[7]

War crime convictions

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Hossain was a central committee member of Islami Chhatra Sangha, the student wing of Jamaat-e-Islami party and a commander of Pakistan Army's auxiliary Razakar force at Chingra Bazar camp during the 1971 war.[6][8] He joined Al-Badr, a paramilitary force, when it was formed.[5]

Hossain was accused of acting as a local commander of a group that aided Pakistani soldiers. The prosecution's probe agency began investigating in February 2012. Hossain was arrested from his residence at Uttarkhan in Dhaka on 29 November 2014.[9] In July 2015, the prosecution pressed five charges against 12 persons including Hossain for their alleged crimes against humanity.[8] The five charges include killing two persons, raping one and torturing two others.[6] The charges were accepted by the special court in September 2015.[9] The conviction was delivered in August 2016. Sakhawat was sentenced to death by hanging. He died in prison in December 2021.[7]

References

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  1. ^ "ICT-1 seeks formal charge against ex-MP Sakhawat July 26". The Daily Star. 21 June 2015. Retrieved 15 January 2020.
  2. ^ "Tribunal indicts former JP MP Shakhawat Hossain, eight others for 1971 war crimes". bdnews24.com. 23 December 2015. Retrieved 15 January 2020.
  3. ^ "List of 5th Parliament Members" (PDF). Bangladesh Parliament. Archived from the original on 11 July 2022. Retrieved 15 January 2020.
  4. ^ "List of 6th Parliament Members" (PDF). Bangladesh Parliament. Archived from the original on 15 September 2018. Retrieved 15 January 2020.
  5. ^ a b "Former MP Sakhawat gets death penalty for war atrocities in Jessore, seven others get prison until death". bdnews24.com. 10 August 2016. Retrieved 15 January 2020.
  6. ^ a b c "Bangladesh sentences ex-MP to death for war crimes in 1971". AP NEWS. 10 August 2016. Retrieved 15 January 2020.
  7. ^ a b "Death penalty for Shakhawat". The Daily Star. 11 August 2016. Retrieved 15 January 2020.
  8. ^ a b "Ex-MP Shakhawat, 11 others charged". The Daily Star. 27 July 2015. Retrieved 15 January 2020.
  9. ^ a b "War trial: Charges against 9 including ex-MP Shakhawat accepted". The Daily Star. 8 September 2015. Retrieved 15 January 2020.