Malaysia Court Halts Khairuzzaman’s Deportation

Malaysian immigration authorities have been ordered to halt the deportation of M Khairuzzaman, the former Bangladesh ambassador who was accused of the 1975 jail killings.

On Tuesday, the High Court granted an interim order against the immigration department from deporting him, reports Free Malaysia Today.

Khairuzzaman, who was accused of involvement in the killings of four national leaders inside the Dhaka Central Jail, was arrested on February 10 at Dhaka’s request, said Malaysia.

His wife, Rieta Rahman, had contended that his arrest was politically motivated by the Bangladesh government.

After an initial hearing of the habeas corpus petition on Tuesday, Judge Mohamed Zaini Mazlan said that he does not to hear that Khairuzzaman “has been deported against this court order that I have granted”, says the report by Free Malaysia Today.

Habeas corpus is a writ requiring a person to be brought before a judge or court, especially for investigation of a restraint of the person's liberty, used as a protection against illegal imprisonment.

The court has set May 20 for the next hearing.

In an immediate response, Khairuzzaman's wife Rieta Rahman, said she was thankful for the court's decision, but hoped the whereabouts of her husband would be made known.

She also asked if a doctor could examine Khairuzzaman, given his medical conditions.

"I want to know where my husband is and, if possible, speak to him," she told Free Malaysia Today.

A retired Bangladesh Army major, Khairuzzaman joined the foreign service in 1975 after the assassination of Bangabandhu.

He was appointed as the high commissioner to Malaysia in 2007 during the emergency regime of the military-installed caretaker administration.

Khairuzzaman was accused in the November 3, 1975 murder of the four national leaders Syed Nazrul Islam, Tajuddin Ahmad, M Mansur Ali and AHM Qamruzzaman, months after the assassination of Bangabandhu and most of his family members.

Undated photo obtained from the internet shows what appears to be a UNHCR-issued document identifying Khairuzzaman as a refugee

After the Awami League came to power in 1996, Khairuzzaman was recalled from his post as acting ambassador to the Philippines to stand trial. He was arrested the same year and his retirement was made compulsory.

Khairuzzaman was bailed out in 2001, when the BNP-Jamaat alliance came to power.

In 2003, he was reappointed to the foreign ministry as director general and the charges against him were dropped in 2004. Under the BNP, he served as an ambassador from 2001 to 2006.

Three years after his name was dropped from the Jail Killing case, he was appointed the high commissioner to Malaysia in 2007, under the caretaker government.

After the Awami League assumed office in 2009, he was recalled to stand trial. Khairuzzaman, however, remained in the country and secured refugee status from the UNHCR.

His father-in-law Mashiur Rahman Jadu Mia, was a leader of the now-banned National Awami Party and served BNP founder Ziaur Rahman as a cabinet minister.

His wife Rieta faced questions over her husband’s alleged role in the Jail Killings after the BNP nominated her to vie for the Rangpur 3 constituency in the 2018 elections. She lost to late Jatiya Party chairman HM Ershad.