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Matia Chowdhury

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Matia Chowdhury (Bengali: মতিয়া চৌধুরী, romanized: Matiẏā caudhurī; 30 June 1942 – 16 October 2024) was a Awami League leader and one of the key perpetrators of the July massacre orchestrated and executed by Sheikh Hasina's toppled regime.[1][2][3][4] She died while awaiting trial for crimes against humanity due to her active involvement in the violent suppression of the Anti-Discrimination Student Movement during the Student–People's uprising.[5]

Matia Chowdhury
মতিয়া চৌধুরী
Chowdhury in 2013
Minister of Agriculture
In office
6 January 2009 – 7 January 2019
Prime MinisterSheikh Hasina
Preceded byIqbal Hasan Mahmud Tuku
Succeeded byMohammad Abdur Razzaque
Member of Parliament
for Sherpur-2
In office
25 January 2009 – 6 August 2024
Preceded byZahed Ali
In office
5 March 1991 – 13 July 2001
Preceded byAbdus Salam
Succeeded byZahed Ali
Presidium Member of Bangladesh Awami League
In office
21 December 2021 – 16 October 2024
Personal details
Born(1942-06-30)30 June 1942
Nazirpur, Pirojpur District, Bengal Province, British Raj
Died16 October 2024(2024-10-16) (aged 82)
Evercare Hospital, Dhaka, Bangladesh
NationalityBangladeshi
Political partyAwami League
SpouseBazlur Rahman
EducationUniversity of Dhaka
Criminal Information
Criminal statusDeceased without facing trials
Criminal chargeCrimes against humanity during Student–People's uprising

She was a deputy leader of parliament,[6] and a Jatiya Sangsad member representing the Sherpur-2 constituency from 2009 to 2024.[7] She held the position of minister of agriculture under the first, second and third premierships of Sheikh Hasina,[8][9] from 1996 to 2001 and then again from 2009 to 2019 during the periods when the Bangladesh Awami League held power.[10] Known as a veteran politician from the Awami League, she ultimately ended her career with a toppled authoritarian regime facing serious criminal charges for her role in the gross violations of human rights.[11][12]

Criminal background

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Chowdhury is one of the individuals named in the cases filed with the Investigation agency of the International Crimes Tribunal (Bangladesh). The charges against her, along with 22 others, include crimes against humanity related to the violent suppression of the Anti-Discrimination Student Movement.[13]

The complaints allege that Chowdhury, along with other high-ranking officials, was involved in orchestrating and planning actions that led to the indiscriminate firing on unarmed students and civilians, resulting in fatalities. Specifically, the accusations suggest that these actions were intended to eliminate participants in the movement, which sought to address issues of discrimination and injustice. The legal proceedings are based on the International Crimes (Tribunals) Act of 1973, which addresses serious crimes such as genocide and crimes against humanity.[13]

Early life and education

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Chowdhury was born on 30 June 1942 at Nazirpur of Pirojpur District. Her father, Mohiuddin Ahmed Chowdhury, was a police officer. She passed HSC from Dhaka Eden College. She later graduated from University of Dhaka.[14]

Career

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Chowdhury began her political journey during her student years, actively engaging in movements against the Ayub regime and the Education Commission of 1962. In 1963, she served as the vice-president of the Dhaka Eden Girls College Students' Union and became the general secretary of the Dhaka University Central Students' Union (DUCSU) in 1964–65. She played a significant role in various movements and protests, particularly during the liberation war, earning the nickname Ogni Konna or Girl of Fire due to her passionate speeches.[15][16] She held the position of president of the East Pakistan Students' Union from 1965 to 1966. Between 1967 and 1969, she was involved in organizing the anti-Ayub movement and was imprisoned for approximately two years, being released during the mass uprising of 1969.[17]

Chowdhury secured a parliamentary seat from Sherpur-2 as a candidate of the Awami League in 1991, receiving 47,886 votes, while her closest competitor, independent candidate professor Abdus Salam, garnered 34,644 votes.[18] She was successful in the 1996 elections as well, receiving 63,574 votes against Bangladesh Nationalist Party candidate Jahed Ali Chowdhury, who received 45,659 votes.[18]

In the 2001 election, Chowdhury was defeated, receiving 99,661 votes compared to Zahed Ali Chowdhury's 102,545 votes.[18] She returned to parliament in 2008, again from Sherpur-2 as an Awami League candidate, with 156,973 votes, while her nearest rival, Zahed Ali Chowdhury from the Bangladesh Nationalist Party, received 75,637 votes.[19]

Chowdhury criticized the World Bank for the slow release of funds in November 2009.[20] In June 2010, she also criticized the Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics for providing "inaccurate statistics" on rice production. She supposedly donated her inheritance from Bazlur Rahman to the Liberation War Museum to establish the Bazlur Rahman Award for reporting on the liberation war.[21]

Controversy

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Chowdhury faced significant backlash following her remarks regarding the 2018 quota reform movement in Bangladesh. During an unscheduled discussion in parliament, Chowdhury questioned the legitimacy of the protesters' demands by asking whether the children of those who fought for the country's independence should be denied opportunities in civil service recruitment. She further provoked outrage by implying that the children of Razakars—collaborators with the Pakistani military during the Liberation War—might benefit from the quota system, stating, “Will the quota for the freedom fighters be shrunk for them?”[22]

Her comments ignited a wave of criticism on social media, with many perceiving her statements as dismissive of the protesters' concerns. A faction of the quota reform movement at Dhaka University publicly demanded an apology rejecting any association with Razakars. Protesters expressed their anger by burning effigies of Chowdhury in front of the Raju Sculpture, a significant site for student activism.[22][23]

The controversy escalated as students from Jahangirnagar University threatened to declare Chowdhury persona non-grata on their campus unless she issued a formal apology within three days.[24] No such apology was issued until her death.

Death

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Matia Chowdhury died on 16 October 2024, while receiving treatment at Evercare Hospital in Dhaka.[14]

Following her death, CAO allegedly made the decision to deny her family's requests for a burial plot at the Mirpur Martyred Intellectual Graveyard, likely influenced by her involvement in the July massacre, resulting in her burial on top of her husband's grave.[25]

References

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  1. ^ "Bangladesh mourns some 200 deaths as student protests wind down and thousands are arrested". AP News. 31 July 2024.
  2. ^ "Two cases filed against 23 people including Hasina for crimes against humanity". UNB. Retrieved 26 October 2024.
  3. ^ "3 more ICT cases filed against Hasina". The Daily Star. 6 September 2024. Retrieved 26 October 2024.
  4. ^ "2 more murder cases filed against Hasina -". The Daily Observer. Retrieved 26 October 2024.
  5. ^ "Two cases filed against 23 people including Hasina for crimes against humanity". UNB.
  6. ^ "Matia Chowdhury becomes deputy leader of parliament". Dhaka Tribune. 12 January 2023. Retrieved 13 January 2023.
  7. ^ "List of 11th Parliament Members". Bangladesh Parliament. Retrieved 10 January 2019.
  8. ^ "SAARC agricultural cooperation gets new momentum: Bangladesh Minister Matia". bdnews24.com. Retrieved 10 April 2016.
  9. ^ "$4.8 million USAID grant to strengthen biotechnology partnership, food security in South". EurekAlert!. Retrieved 10 April 2016.
  10. ^ "Hon'ble-Ministers". Cabinet Division – Government of the People's Republic of Bangladesh.
  11. ^ "Five more cases filed against Hasina, aides".
  12. ^ Regan, Helen (6 August 2024). "Bangladesh's 'Gen Z revolution' toppled a veteran leader. Why did they hit the streets and what happens now?". CNN. Retrieved 26 October 2024.
  13. ^ a b "Two cases filed against 23 people including Hasina for crimes against humanity". UNB.
  14. ^ a b "AL presidium member Matia Chowdhury dies". New Age. 16 October 2024. Retrieved 16 October 2024.
  15. ^ লাগাম টেনে কথা বলবেন, বিশ্বব্যাংককে মতিয়া চৌধুরী [Talking about the twist, Matia Chowdhury told the World Bank]. Prothom Alo. Archived from the original on 7 June 2015. Retrieved 10 April 2016.
  16. ^ "A BIOGRAPHY OF MATIA CHOWDHURY – ABIOGRAPHY". 10 September 2023. Retrieved 16 October 2024.
  17. ^ "Press Information Department (PID), Government of Bangladesh". pressinform.portal.gov.bd. Retrieved 19 September 2018.
  18. ^ a b c "Parliament Election Result of 1991, 1996, 2001 Bangladesh Election Information and Statistics". 29 December 2008. Archived from the original on 29 December 2008. Retrieved 17 October 2024.
  19. ^ "Bangladesh Parliament Election – Detail Results". Archived from the original on 12 June 2018. Retrieved 17 October 2024.
  20. ^ "Matia slates WB over slow fund release". The Daily Star. 4 November 2009. Retrieved 18 October 2024.
  21. ^ Ali, Sarwar (17 October 2024). "Remembering Matia Chowdhury: A distinguished life". The Daily Star. Retrieved 17 October 2024.
  22. ^ a b "Matia draws flak for comment". The Daily Star. 11 April 2018. Retrieved 26 October 2024.
  23. ^ "'Matia Chy must say sorry'". The Daily Star. 10 April 2018. Retrieved 26 October 2024.
  24. ^ "JU students threaten to declare Matia persona non-grata". The Daily Star. 10 April 2018. Retrieved 26 October 2024.
  25. ^ স্বামীর কবরে শায়িত মতিয়া চৌধুরী, পেলেন না মুক্তিযোদ্ধার অন্তিম সম্মান. Prothom Alo (in Bengali). 17 October 2024. Retrieved 17 October 2024.
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