Canada to deport convicted Nur

The Canadian government has decided to deport Lt Col (retd) SHMB Nur Chowdhury, a convicted fugitive killer of Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, to Bangladesh, Law Minister Shafique Ahmed told journalists yesterday.
"The Canadian police have seized the passport of Nur Chowdhury since he has been illegally staying in Canada," he told a press briefing at his Secretariat office after his return from Canada yesterday.
"The Canadian police have submitted Nur Chowdhury's passport to the Bangladesh High Commission in Canada in July last year. The police also kept him under a security vigil as part of deportation process," he said.
Nur Chowdhury has to report to the local police station every week, the minister added.
Shafique also said he learned that Lt Col (retd) Shariful Haque Dalim, another convicted fugitive killer of Bangabandhu, had gone to Canada
some days ago and left that country after staying there for a few days.
Nur Chowdhury is one of the 12 convicted killers of the father of the nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman.
For the brutal killing of Bangabandhu along with most of his family members and relatives, including women and minors, the trial court awarded Nur death sentence in 1998. The High Court also upheld the judgement in 2001 that was also upheld by the Supreme Court on November 19.
It has been evident in the HC verdict that Nur Chowdhury and Maj (retd) Bazlul Huda shot the then president Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman at his Dhanmondi residence on August 15, 1975.
Maj Huda, who is facing death penalty in this case, is now in the condemn cell of Dhaka Central Jail.
Nur who was a major in 1975 received some rewards including promotion to lieutenant colonel by the post-Mujib governments.
He is one of those who were given diplomatic jobs as rewards for the August 15 and the killings of four national leaders on November 3, 1975.
Nur was appointed in different times as a councillor to Brazil, Tehran, and Algiers.
The law minister said he had a discussion with his Canadian counterpart about bringing Nur back.
He said Nur Chowdhury earlier appealed to the Canadian government for permission to stay there as a citizen or a refugee but was rejected.
"Now he is trying to appeal to the Supreme Court of Canada against the government's rejecting his appeal and for allowing him to remain in that country," he said.
The minister added if the Canadian court rejects his appeal, there will be no bar in bringing him back.
"Nur Chowdhury stated in his appeal that he was convicted in the Bangabandhu murder case and if he is deported to Bangladesh, he would be executed," he said.
On the government move to bring back other fugitive convicts of the case, the minister said the foreign ministry has taken steps to that end.
Asked whether the government will make any extradition treaty with Libya and Pakistan where some of the convicts are hiding, the minister said the foreign ministry will deal with this matter.
In reply to another question on whether the absconding convicts can appeal to the SC against the death penalty, Shafique said they cannot file any appeal since they have no legal reason for making long delay in filing the appeal.
The Appellate Division on November 19 upheld the death penalties of 12 convicted ex-army officers for the August 15, 1975 assassination of Bangabandhu along with most of his family members.
If extradited, Nur Chowdhury would be the third condemned convict to return home to face justice in the case after Maj (retd) Bazlul Huda and Maj (retd) AKM Mohiuddin Ahmed.
Thailand returned Huda in 1998 after Dhaka and Bangkok signed an extradition treaty, while the United States returned Mohiuddin during the past military-backed caretaker government in June 2007 after he failed to obtain a federal court order to stay there.
Only five of the condemned convicts are now in death row in jail awaiting exhaustion of the legal procedures ahead of their execution.
They are Lt Col (sacked) Syed Farooqur Rahman, Lt Col (retd) Sultan Shahriar Rashid Khan, Maj (retd) AKM Mohiuddin Ahmed, Lt Col (retd) Mohiuddin Ahmed and Maj (retd) Bazlul Huda.
Besides Nur and Dalim, the four other fugitive ex-army officials are Lt Col Khandaker Abdur Rashid, Lt Col Rashed Chowdhury, Capt MA Mazed and Risaldar Moslehuddin Khan.