US assures cooperation in repatriating Bangabandhu’s killer Rashed Chowdhury

Visiting US Deputy Secretary of State Stephen E. Biegun has assured Bangladesh of extending cooperation in repatriating Bangabandhu's convicted absconding killer Rashed Chowdhury from the USA to Bangladesh.

He made the assurance when State Minister for Foreign Affairs Md Shahriar Alam raised the issue during a dinner meeting with him on Wednesday, a foreign ministry press release said here today.

"Deputy Secretary Beigun assured him (Alam) of extending cooperation in this regard," said the release.

Dhaka also raised the issue of repatriating Rashed Chouwdhury from the USA during the meeting between Foreign Minister Dr A K Abdul Momen and US Deputy Secretary of State Biegun held at state guesthouse Padma in the capital this morning.

"We have good news about it (repatriation of the killer) … he (Biegun) said the US attorney general is looking into it," Dr Momen said at a joint press briefing with Biegun after the meeting.

Earlier in several occasions, the foreign minister expressed his optimism of bringing back Rashed Chowdhury, who is residing in the USA with false information, to the country within the 'Mujib Year' marking the birth centenary of Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibiur Rahman.

The government had traced out Bangabandhu's two convicted furtive killers – Rashed Chowdhury and Noor Chowdhury – residing in the USA and Canada respectively, while the whereabouts of other three fugitives –Khandaker Abdur Rashid, Shariful Haque Dalim, and Moslehuddin Khan – are yet to be ascertained.

After knowing the locations of the two killers, the Foreign Ministry and the Law Ministry have been deeply engaged with the US and the Canadian authorities to bring back these two absconding murderers.

Dhaka has sought cooperation from all the countries across the world to detect the rest three fugitive convicted killers and send them here to help Bangladesh in establishing the rule of law.

The foreign ministry gave special instructions to all Bangladesh missions abroad to hunt for the killers.

Twelve ex-military officers were sentenced to death for the August 15, 1975 killing of Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman along with most of his family members.

Of them, five sacked army personnel – Syed Farooq Rahman, Sultan Shahriar Rashid Khan, AKM Mohiuddin Ahmed, Mohiuddin Ahmed and Bazlul Huda – were hanged at Dhaka Central Jail on January 28, 2010, while another convict, sacked colonel Rashed Pasha, died a natural death in Zimbabwe while he was on the run.

Farooq Rahman, Shahriar Rashid Khan, Mohiuddin Ahmed of artillery faced the trials in the judge court while Huda was extradited from Thailand and Mohiuddin was sent back from the United States after the then district judge Golam Rasul delivered the judgment.

On April 12 last, sacked military captain Abdul Majed, one of the Bangabandhu's fugitive killers hiding in India, was arrested here and hanged at Dhaka Central Jail in Keraniganj.