The execution of Jamaat-e-Islami financier Mir Quasem Ali for committing war crimes in 1971 has ignited an angry&nbsp;diplomatic&nbsp;debate between Pakistan and Bangladesh. 
 
Pakistan said it was &quot;deeply&nbsp;saddened&quot; about the hanging of Quasem as his execution took place due to a &quot;flawed judicial process&quot;. 
 
Bangladesh reacted to the statement by summoning Pakistani Acting High Commissioner Samina Mehtab and&nbsp;handing him a &ldquo;note verbale&rdquo; to mark their strong protest, local news website bdnews24.com reported. 
 
Quasem was handed a death sentence by the International Crime Tribunal on two counts, including kidnapping and murder of a teenager who wanted East Pakistan to become a separate country. 
 
It must be remembered that East Pakistan, present-day Bangladesh, was a Pakistani state till they fought a war in 1971 to carve their own state. 
 
&quot;The act of suppressing the Opposition through flawed trials is completely against the spirit of democracy,&quot; Pakistan&nbsp;Foreign Office (FO) spokesman Zakaria had said in reaction to Quasem&#39;s death.&nbsp;&quot;The government of Bangladesh should uphold its commitment, as per the Tripartite Agreement of 1974, wherein it &#39;decided not to proceed with the trials as an act of clemency&#39;.&quot; 
 
Quasem was executed in a high-security prison in Bangladesh on Saturday night. 
 
(WION with inputs from agencies) 
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Jamaat-e-Islami financier Mir Quasem Ali's hanging elicited an 'unfair trial' response from Pakistan to which Bangladesh strongly retaliated

The execution of Jamaat-e-Islami financier Mir Quasem Ali for committing war crimes in 1971 has ignited an angry diplomatic debate between Pakistan and Bangladesh. Pakistan said it was "deeply saddened" about the hanging of Quasem as his execution took place due to a "flawed judicial process". Bangladesh reacted to the statement by summoning Pakistani Acting High Commissioner Samina Mehtab and handing him a “note verbale” to mark their strong protest, local news website bdnews24.com reported. Quasem was handed a death sentence by the International Crime Tribunal on two counts, including kidnapping and murder of a teenager who wanted East Pakistan to become a separate country. It must be remembered that East Pakistan, present-day Bangladesh, was a Pakistani state till they fought a war in 1971 to carve their own state. "The act of suppressing the Opposition through flawed trials is completely against the spirit of democracy," Pakistan Foreign Office (FO) spokesman Zakaria had said in reaction to Quasem's death. "The government of Bangladesh should uphold its commitment, as per the Tripartite Agreement of 1974, wherein it 'decided not to proceed with the trials as an act of clemency'." Quasem was executed in a high-security prison in Bangladesh on Saturday night. (WION with inputs from agencies)

War criminal's execution sparks Pakistan-Bangladesh row

Mir Quasem Ali, leader of Jamaat-e-Islami, was hanged for 1971 war crimes on Saturday night. 
 
The execution took place at 10.30pm, Bangladesh authorities told local news website bdnews24.com.
 
Ali is the sixth Islamist to be hanged for committing crimes during the&nbsp;country&rsquo;s 1971 Liberation War against Pakistan. 
 
The execution comes&nbsp;around a week&nbsp;after the country&#39;s Supreme Court rejected Ali&#39;s final review petition.
The Kashimpur Central Jail had received the executive order for the media tycoon&#39;s death sentence earlier today. 
 
Bangladesh&#39;s elite force Rapid Action Battalion (Rab), Armed Police Battalion and police &ndash; around 50 in number &ndash; were deployed outside the jail,&nbsp;The Daily Star&nbsp;reported.&nbsp; 
 
A Bangladesh tribunal had sentenced five to execution in a trial initiated in 2010 for the 1971 war criminals. 
 
Ali had refused to seek presidential mercy, Jail superintendent Prashanta Kumar Banik told the media. 
 
Ali was sentenced to death in 2014 for war crimes by the International Crimes Tribunal. 
 
(WION with inputs from PTI)

Mir Quasem Ali was hanged at 10.30pm on Saturday, authorities said

Mir Quasem Ali, leader of Jamaat-e-Islami, was hanged for 1971 war crimes on Saturday night. The execution took place at 10.30pm, Bangladesh authorities told local news website bdnews24.com. Ali is the sixth Islamist to be hanged for committing crimes during the country’s 1971 Liberation War against Pakistan. The execution comes around a week after the country's Supreme Court rejected Ali's final review petition. The Kashimpur Central Jail had received the executive order for the media tycoon's death sentence earlier today. Bangladesh's elite force Rapid Action Battalion (Rab), Armed Police Battalion and police – around 50 in number – were deployed outside the jail, The Daily Star reported. A Bangladesh tribunal had sentenced five to execution in a trial initiated in 2010 for the 1971 war criminals. Ali had refused to seek presidential mercy, Jail superintendent Prashanta Kumar Banik told the media. Ali was sentenced to death in 2014 for war crimes by the International Crimes Tribunal. (WION with inputs from PTI)

Bangladesh: Jamaat-linked tycoon executed for 1971 war crimes

Amnesty International today condemned the hanging in Iraq of 36 men convicted of a mass killing of soldiers, saying some of their confessions were extorted under threats and torture. 
 
The watchdog called on the Iraqi authorities to establish a moratorium on executions and to hold &quot;fair and transparent&quot; trials for those accused of involvement in the massacre. The hangings were carried out yesterday, at a prison in southern Iraq, state television said. 
 
Those executed were convicted in the deaths of as many as 1,700 soldiers, mostly Shi&#39;ites, two years ago. The soldiers were killed after they fled from Camp Speicher, a former US military base just north of Saddam Hussein&#39;s home town of Tikrit, when it was overrun by Islamic State, the ultra-hardline Sunni group, in 2014. 
 
US-backed Iraqi government forces and Iranian-supported Shi&#39;ite militias recaptured the region last year. 
 
&quot;One of the men executed &#39;confessed&#39; to killing 60 cadets at Speicher after receiving threats that his wife and sisters would be raped. He was also beaten with cables and given electric shocks,&quot; Amnesty said. 
 
&quot;Even though he recanted this &#39;confession&#39; in court, according to lawyers, it was used to justify its verdict&quot;. 
 
The government came under increased pressure from local Shi&#39;ite politicians to execute militants sentenced to death after a massive bombing that targeted a shopping street in Baghdad on July 3, killing at least 324 people. 
 
Claimed by Islamic State, the truck bomb that blew up in the Karrada district was the deadliest since the US-led invasion that toppled Saddam Hussein in 2003. 
 
Justice minister Haidar al-Zamili on Sunday expected more executions to be carried out, dismissing UN and human rights groups concern over the fairness of the trials.&nbsp; 
 
(Reuters)

The watchdog called on Iraqi authorities to hold 'fair and transparent' trials for those accused of a mass killing of soldiers

Amnesty International today condemned the hanging in Iraq of 36 men convicted of a mass killing of soldiers, saying some of their confessions were extorted under threats and torture. The watchdog called on the Iraqi authorities to establish a moratorium on executions and to hold "fair and transparent" trials for those accused of involvement in the massacre. The hangings were carried out yesterday, at a prison in southern Iraq, state television said. Those executed were convicted in the deaths of as many as 1,700 soldiers, mostly Shi'ites, two years ago. The soldiers were killed after they fled from Camp Speicher, a former US military base just north of Saddam Hussein's home town of Tikrit, when it was overrun by Islamic State, the ultra-hardline Sunni group, in 2014. US-backed Iraqi government forces and Iranian-supported Shi'ite militias recaptured the region last year. "One of the men executed 'confessed' to killing 60 cadets at Speicher after receiving threats that his wife and sisters would be raped. He was also beaten with cables and given electric shocks," Amnesty said. "Even though he recanted this 'confession' in court, according to lawyers, it was used to justify its verdict". The government came under increased pressure from local Shi'ite politicians to execute militants sentenced to death after a massive bombing that targeted a shopping street in Baghdad on July 3, killing at least 324 people. Claimed by Islamic State, the truck bomb that blew up in the Karrada district was the deadliest since the US-led invasion that toppled Saddam Hussein in 2003. Justice minister Haidar al-Zamili on Sunday expected more executions to be carried out, dismissing UN and human rights groups concern over the fairness of the trials. (Reuters)

Amnesty condemns hanging in Iraq, says confessions were extorted

Iran has executed a nuclear scientist convicted of handing over &quot;confidential and vital&quot; information to the United States, a judicial spokesman said today. 
 
&quot;Shahram Amiri was hanged for revealing the country&#39;s top secrets to the enemy,&quot; Gholamhossein Mohseni Ejeie was quoted as saying by the Mizan Online news site. 
 
Amiri disappeared in Saudi Arabia in June 2009 and resurfaced a year later in the United States. 
 
Iranian officials welcomed him back to Iran but there has been little information released since. Amiri said after returning to the Islamic republic that he had been held in the US for more than a year after being &quot;kidnapped&quot; at gunpoint by two Farsi-speaking CIA agents in the Saudi city of Medina. 
 
Ejeie said the US had been &quot;outsmarted&quot; by Iran&#39;s intelligence services. 
 
&quot;American intelligence services thought Iran has no knowledge of his transfer to Saudi Arabia and what he was doing but we knew all of it and were monitoring,&quot; he was quoted by state television as saying. 
 
Tehran and Washington have had no diplomatic ties since 1980, when students stormed the American embassy following the 1979 Islamic revolution. 
 
&quot;This person, having access to confidential and highly confidential information of the regime, had established a connection to our number one enemy, America, and had provided the enemy with Iran&#39;s confidential and vital information,&quot; Ejeie said. 
 
&quot;Shram Amiri was tried in accordance with law and in the presence of his lawyer.&nbsp;He appealed his death sentence based on judicial process. The Supreme Court confirmed it after meticulous reviews,&quot; he added. 
 
The spokesman dispelled a &quot;rumour&quot; by Amiri&#39;s family that he had received a 10-year prison term. 
 
Iran last year signed a landmark deal with world powers, including the US, to place curbs on its controversial nuclear programme in exchange for the lifting of economic sanctions. 
 
(AFP)

An Iranian judicial spokesman dispelled a 'rumour' by Amiri's family that he had received a 10-year prison term

Iran has executed a nuclear scientist convicted of handing over "confidential and vital" information to the United States, a judicial spokesman said today. "Shahram Amiri was hanged for revealing the country's top secrets to the enemy," Gholamhossein Mohseni Ejeie was quoted as saying by the Mizan Online news site. Amiri disappeared in Saudi Arabia in June 2009 and resurfaced a year later in the United States. Iranian officials welcomed him back to Iran but there has been little information released since. Amiri said after returning to the Islamic republic that he had been held in the US for more than a year after being "kidnapped" at gunpoint by two Farsi-speaking CIA agents in the Saudi city of Medina. Ejeie said the US had been "outsmarted" by Iran's intelligence services. "American intelligence services thought Iran has no knowledge of his transfer to Saudi Arabia and what he was doing but we knew all of it and were monitoring," he was quoted by state television as saying. Tehran and Washington have had no diplomatic ties since 1980, when students stormed the American embassy following the 1979 Islamic revolution. "This person, having access to confidential and highly confidential information of the regime, had established a connection to our number one enemy, America, and had provided the enemy with Iran's confidential and vital information," Ejeie said. "Shram Amiri was tried in accordance with law and in the presence of his lawyer. He appealed his death sentence based on judicial process. The Supreme Court confirmed it after meticulous reviews," he added. The spokesman dispelled a "rumour" by Amiri's family that he had received a 10-year prison term. Iran last year signed a landmark deal with world powers, including the US, to place curbs on its controversial nuclear programme in exchange for the lifting of economic sanctions. (AFP)

Iran executes nuclear scientist for spying for US

The Islamic State jihadist group has executed at least 24 civilians after seizing a village in northern Syria from a Kurdish-Arab alliance, a monitor said on Friday. 
 
&quot;IS has executed at least 24 civilians in the last 24 hours&quot; after seizing the village of Buyir close to the northern town of Manbij from the Syrian Democratic Forces, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said. 
 
(AFP)

The village of Buyir was captured from a Kurdish-Arab alliance before the execution

The Islamic State jihadist group has executed at least 24 civilians after seizing a village in northern Syria from a Kurdish-Arab alliance, a monitor said on Friday. "IS has executed at least 24 civilians in the last 24 hours" after seizing the village of Buyir close to the northern town of Manbij from the Syrian Democratic Forces, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said. (AFP)

Islamic State executes 24 in Syria: Monitor

The Supreme Court of Maldives has quashed a stay order issued on Sunday by the High Court halting executions by the state, the Maldives Independent has reported. 
 
&quot;An order issued around 1.30 am local time states that there are no &#39;judicial or legal grounds to challenge the constitutionality of the regulations&#39; as the apex court has upheld two death sentences and ordered the state to carry out executions in accordance with the regulations,&quot; the report said. The Supreme Court of Maldives suggested that it has therefore deemed the regulations to be valid and constitutional. 
 
The case was filed by a local human rights NGO Maldives Democratic Network (MDN) and the high court&#39;s decision to hear the case was considered by the Supreme Court as violating the constitution. It deemed the hearing &#39;void by its nature&#39;.&nbsp; 
 
According to Maldives Independent, the Supreme Court has also declared that the appellate court shall not adjudicate on the matter and nullified the case. 
 
Speaking to the website, Shahindha Ismail, executive director of the NGO questioned the &ldquo;validity of the midnight order&rdquo; by the apex court. 
 
She said that she does not believe the apex court has issued a ruling because &ldquo;there has not been a hearing of this case at the Supreme Court, as the most fundamental of rights in this issue, of being heard, was never afforded to MDN by the court.&rdquo; 
 
&ldquo;Further, the document going around on social media does not even have a signature or initial of an authorised person of the Supreme Court and the case number quoted on last night&rsquo;s order seems to be that of a previous case. We will go ahead with our petition,&rdquo; she added. 
 
The order was first put up on the Twitter account of the Department of Judicial Administration, which falls under the direct supervision of the Supreme Court. 
 
It has now been published on the Supreme Court website, without a signature, the Maldives Independent said.&nbsp; 
 
In its public interest claim, the MDN had meanwhile argued that the death penalty regulations restricted a fundamental constitutional right, which could only be done by an act of parliament, the Maldives Independent report mentioned.&nbsp; 
 
The website reported that the panel who heard the case at the High Court comprised of Chief Judge Abdulla Didi along with Judges Ali Sameer and Abdul Rauf Ibrahim. 
 
The Supreme Court&rsquo;s intervention comes in the midst of mounting international pressure against the re-introduction of capital punishment&nbsp;in Maldives after a six-decade unofficial moratorium. 
 
President Abdulla Yameen declared earlier this month that his administration will not baulk at enforcing the death penalty, claiming that it is necessary for public safety. 
 
The Supreme Court upheld its first death sentences last month after Yameen urged the highest court of appeal to conclude death penalty cases. 
 
The regulations approved by the cabinet in April 2014 require a final judgment by the apex court to carry out executions. 
 
Two young men, Hussain Humam Ahmed and Ahmed Murrath, are now awaiting execution by lethal injection or hanging. 
 
Earlier this month, the UN Human Rights Committee requested the government to halt Humam&rsquo;s execution pending the outcome of a review of his conviction on the murder of Dr Afrasheem Ali in October 2012. 
 
But the foreign ministry said the request does not constitute a legally binding order. 
 
The UN Human Rights committee is investigating a complaint alleging violations of Humam&rsquo;s right to a fair trial as set forth in the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights. 
 
The European Union, four UN human rights experts, and Amnesty International have also called on the government to maintain the moratorium on the death penalty. 
 
(WION) 
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International pressure has been mounting against the re-introduction of death penalty in Maldives after lifting of a six-decade moratorium

The Supreme Court of Maldives has quashed a stay order issued on Sunday by the High Court halting executions by the state, the Maldives Independent has reported. "An order issued around 1.30 am local time states that there are no 'judicial or legal grounds to challenge the constitutionality of the regulations' as the apex court has upheld two death sentences and ordered the state to carry out executions in accordance with the regulations," the report said. The Supreme Court of Maldives suggested that it has therefore deemed the regulations to be valid and constitutional. The case was filed by a local human rights NGO Maldives Democratic Network (MDN) and the high court's decision to hear the case was considered by the Supreme Court as violating the constitution. It deemed the hearing 'void by its nature'. According to Maldives Independent, the Supreme Court has also declared that the appellate court shall not adjudicate on the matter and nullified the case. Speaking to the website, Shahindha Ismail, executive director of the NGO questioned the “validity of the midnight order” by the apex court. She said that she does not believe the apex court has issued a ruling because “there has not been a hearing of this case at the Supreme Court, as the most fundamental of rights in this issue, of being heard, was never afforded to MDN by the court.” “Further, the document going around on social media does not even have a signature or initial of an authorised person of the Supreme Court and the case number quoted on last night’s order seems to be that of a previous case. We will go ahead with our petition,” she added. The order was first put up on the Twitter account of the Department of Judicial Administration, which falls under the direct supervision of the Supreme Court. It has now been published on the Supreme Court website, without a signature, the Maldives Independent said. In its public interest claim, the MDN had meanwhile argued that the death penalty regulations restricted a fundamental constitutional right, which could only be done by an act of parliament, the Maldives Independent report mentioned. The website reported that the panel who heard the case at the High Court comprised of Chief Judge Abdulla Didi along with Judges Ali Sameer and Abdul Rauf Ibrahim. The Supreme Court’s intervention comes in the midst of mounting international pressure against the re-introduction of capital punishment in Maldives after a six-decade unofficial moratorium. President Abdulla Yameen declared earlier this month that his administration will not baulk at enforcing the death penalty, claiming that it is necessary for public safety. The Supreme Court upheld its first death sentences last month after Yameen urged the highest court of appeal to conclude death penalty cases. The regulations approved by the cabinet in April 2014 require a final judgment by the apex court to carry out executions. Two young men, Hussain Humam Ahmed and Ahmed Murrath, are now awaiting execution by lethal injection or hanging. Earlier this month, the UN Human Rights Committee requested the government to halt Humam’s execution pending the outcome of a review of his conviction on the murder of Dr Afrasheem Ali in October 2012. But the foreign ministry said the request does not constitute a legally binding order. The UN Human Rights committee is investigating a complaint alleging violations of Humam’s right to a fair trial as set forth in the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights. The European Union, four UN human rights experts, and Amnesty International have also called on the government to maintain the moratorium on the death penalty. (WION)

Supreme court of Maldives quashes high court stay order halting executions

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