UNLESS he is pardoned by that country’s president, Bangladesh Jamaat-i-Islami leader Abdul Quader Molla will be hanged in “the shortest possible time”, according to the deputy law minister. This hurry to execute a man who belongs to an opposition party is shocking, especially when the higher judiciary could still reverse the death sentence. Mr Molla was given a life term by Bangladesh’s International Crimes Tribunal for crimes against humanity he allegedly committed during the 1971 civil war. In keeping with the tenor of the times in Bangladesh, the Supreme Court chose to enhance the sentence to death last September. The ‘international’ tribunal that had tried Mr Molla is a Bangladeshi court, and legal experts say the trial fell short of judicial standards. Due process has not yet been completed, and a further appeal can be considered. Given this backdrop, hanging Mr Molla — the punishment is one that goes against all precepts of human rights — would amount to “an act of murder” as noted by the defence lawyer.

Legal aspects apart, the very decision to try Mr Molla and others, including two members of the opposition Bangladesh National Party, for alleged crimes committed more than 40 years ago betrays a revanchist spirit on the part of the Awami League. What the country needs is reconciliation rather than revenge exacted mostly on Prime Minister Hasina Wajed’s political opponents. Sheikh Hasina should learn from the spirit of forgiveness shown by Nelson Mandela at the peak of his power. The African icon asked his people not to take revenge on the white minority whose litany of crimes constitutes a history of its own. Mr Molla’s execution, if carried out, will provoke a backlash, which could throw Bangladesh further into the quagmire of political instability, violence and economic distress. Atrocities during the 1971 war were committed by more than one group, and it would be a miscarriage of justice if accountability is seen to be selective.