Mutineers punished

Mutiny has always been regarded as the most serious of crimes, attracting the severest of punishments.

Mutiny has always been regarded in military organisations the world over as the most serious of crimes, attracting the severest of punishments. There are occasions — but rare — where mutiny is justified in the face of a despotic commander or a leader who has taken leave of his senses. Neither appears to have been the case in Bangladesh in February of 2009. The Bangladesh Rifles, a paramilitary force used primarily as border guards, rose up against their officers citing a range of reasons but principally that they were not accorded parity with other military units. Over three days, the revolt spread to 12 other towns and cities. There was widespread killing of officers, looting of their houses and their families held hostage. The revolt ended after four days and the cost began to be counted.

Mass graves were found, and in all, 74 people are believed to have been killed, 57 of them senior and mid-ranking army officers. Order restored, due process of law swung into action and the trials of 813 involved in the revolt have now ended. For 152 of those sentenced in Dhaka on November 5, the sentence is death, a further 160 have received life sentences. Not all of those sentenced were soldiers, and among the 23 civilians found guilty were politicians who were complicit in the carnage and in some cases were found to have incited it. In this case, the law has been seen to be equally applied to all defendants no matter their status or origins. About 6,000 soldiers were convicted by the military courts, found guilty of lesser offences associated with the mutiny. They were variously fined or received prison sentences of between four months and seven years. It will be hoped that a line has now been drawn and lessons learned. There can be no justification for the horrors committed over three days in February 2009, and although judgment has been slow in coming, justice has been seen to be done and it is time for Bangladesh to move on.

Published in The Express Tribune, November 8^th, 2013.

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