{{Short description|Bangladeshi officer and coup member}} {{Use dmy dates|date=January 2025}} {{Infobox military person | name = Rashed Chowdhury | birth_date = | death_date = | birth_place = | death_place = | burial_place = | image = | caption = | width = | nickname = | allegiance = {{PAK}} (Before 1971)<br />{{BAN}} | branch = {{army|Pakistan}}<br />{{army|Bangladesh}} | service_years = 1968-1996 | rank = Lieutenant Colonel | commands = *Deputy Commander of Z Force * Adjutant of 2nd Field Artillery Battery * CO of 4th Field Artillery Regiment | unit = Regiment of Artillery | battles = Bangladesh Liberation War | known_for = Assassination of Sheikh Mujibur Rahman | awards = Bir Protik {{small|(Revoked)<ref>{{Cite news |date=6 June 2021 |script-title=bn:বঙ্গবন্ধুর চার খুনির মুক্তিযুদ্ধের খেতাব বাতিল |url=https://www.prothomalo.com/bangladesh/%E0%A6%AC%E0%A6%99%E0%A7%8D%E0%A6%97%E0%A6%AC%E0%A6%A8%E0%A7%8D%E0%A6%A7%E0%A7%81%E0%A6%B0-%E0%A6%9A%E0%A6%BE%E0%A6%B0-%E0%A6%96%E0%A7%81%E0%A6%A8%E0%A6%BF%E0%A6%B0-%E0%A6%AE%E0%A7%81%E0%A6%95%E0%A7%8D%E0%A6%A4%E0%A6%BF%E0%A6%AF%E0%A7%81%E0%A6%A6%E0%A7%8D%E0%A6%A7%E0%A7%87%E0%A6%B0-%E0%A6%96%E0%A7%87%E0%A6%A4%E0%A6%BE%E0%A6%AC-%E0%A6%AC%E0%A6%BE%E0%A6%A4%E0%A6%BF%E0%A6%B2 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240819192351/https://www.prothomalo.com/bangladesh/%E0%A6%AC%E0%A6%99%E0%A7%8D%E0%A6%97%E0%A6%AC%E0%A6%A8%E0%A7%8D%E0%A6%A7%E0%A7%81%E0%A6%B0-%E0%A6%9A%E0%A6%BE%E0%A6%B0-%E0%A6%96%E0%A7%81%E0%A6%A8%E0%A6%BF%E0%A6%B0-%E0%A6%AE%E0%A7%81%E0%A6%95%E0%A7%8D%E0%A6%A4%E0%A6%BF%E0%A6%AF%E0%A7%81%E0%A6%A6%E0%A7%8D%E0%A6%A7%E0%A7%87%E0%A6%B0-%E0%A6%96%E0%A7%87%E0%A6%A4%E0%A6%BE%E0%A6%AC-%E0%A6%AC%E0%A6%BE%E0%A6%A4%E0%A6%BF%E0%A6%B2 |archive-date=19 August 2024 |access-date=23 January 2025 |work=Prothom Alo |language=bn}}</ref>}} | other_work = }} '''Rashed Chowdhury''' is a Bangladeshi military official who is a retired Bangladesh Army officer. Chowdhury was a participant in the coup that led to the assassination of Sheikh Mujibur, the founding president of Bangladesh, in 1975. His specific role in the coup is in dispute.

After the coup, the new constitution granted him and other conspirators immunity and he went on to work as a diplomat for the Bangladesh government. After Sheikh Hasina's election in 1996, he travelled to the United States and requested asylum which was granted. He has been convicted and sentenced to death ''in absentia'' and the Bangladesh government is seeking his extradition.

== 1971 Bangladesh Liberation War == Chowdhury fought in the 1971 Bangladesh Liberation War and was awarded Bir Protik, the fourth highest gallantry award in Bangladesh. However, Chowdhury's award was revoked, along with the awards of several other soldiers involved in the assassination of Sheikh Mujib when the Awami League came to power.<ref>{{Cite news |title=Bangladesh strips four fugitive Bangabandhu killers of gallantry awards |url=https://bdnews24.com/bangladesh/bangladesh-strips-four-fugitive-bangabandhu-killers-of-gallantry-awards |access-date=2022-12-21 |work=bdnews24.com |language=en}}</ref>

==15 August 1975 coup== {{Main|15 August 1975 Bangladeshi coup d'état}} In 1975, some dissatisfied Bangladesh Army officers planned to remove the government of Sheikh Mujib through a military coup d'état, the date they selected was 15 August 1975. On 14 August the officers met to finalize the plan. They attacked Sheikh Mujib's house, killing him along with his entire family, except two of his daughters who were living abroad, on 15 August. Chowdhury was promoted to the rank of lieutenant colonel by the regime that followed.<ref>{{cite news |date=29 January 2010 |title=6 stay out of reach |url=https://www.thedailystar.net/news-detail-123923 |access-date=8 August 2017 |work=The Daily Star |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170808235325/https://www.thedailystar.net/news-detail-123923 |archive-date=8 August 2017 |language=en}}</ref>

Chowdhury's involvement in the August 15 killings is disputed. According to a since-recanted confession, he was a member of the squad that attacked the house of Abdur Rab Serniabat who was killed in the attack.<ref name=":0">{{Cite news |last=Swan |first=Betsy Woodruff |date=24 July 2020 |title=He thought he had asylum. Now, he could face a death sentence. |url=https://www.politico.com/news/2020/07/24/rashed-chowdhury-asylum-death-sentence-381075 |access-date=31 July 2020 |work=Politico |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240915163211/https://www.politico.com/news/2020/07/24/rashed-chowdhury-asylum-death-sentence-381075 |archive-date=15 September 2024 |language=en}}</ref><ref name=":1">{{Cite news |date=25 July 2020 |title=US reopens Bangabandhu killer Rashed Chowdhury's asylum case |url=https://www.dhakatribune.com/bangladesh/2020/07/25/us-moves-to-review-asylum-case-of-bangabandhu-killer-rashed-chowdhury |access-date=31 July 2020 |work=Dhaka Tribune}}</ref> He himself has claimed that he was first informed on the morning of 15 August 1975 and was tasked with securing a nearby radio station which he did without fighting.<ref name=":0" />

== Career as a diplomat == Following an abortive coup on 17 June 1980, Chowdhury was sent to the Bangladeshi diplomatic mission in Nigeria, where he worked till 1984.<ref name="dsc">{{cite news |date=15 August 2012 |title=6 killers still out of reach |url=http://www.thedailystar.net/news-detail-246248 |access-date=8 August 2017 |work=The Daily Star |language=en}}</ref> Chowdhury was in a diplomatic posting in Brazil when the Bangladesh Awami League and Sheikh Mujibur's daughter, Sheikh Hasina, came to power in 1996.<ref name=":2">{{Cite news |last=Chakraborty |first=Amitava |date=29 July 2020 |title=Who is Rashed Chowdhury, the Bangladeshi against whom the US has reopened a case? |url=https://indianexpress.com/article/explained/who-is-rashed-chowdhury-the-bangladeshi-against-whom-the-us-has-reopened-a-closed-case-6527767/ |archive-url= |archive-date= |access-date=31 July 2020 |work=The Indian Express |language=en}}</ref> He left his post and traveled to the United States with his wife and child on a visitor's visa after the government of Bangladesh recalled him.<ref name=":2" />

==Asylum and trial== {{Update section|date=January 2025}} Chowdhury applied for political asylum in the United States in 1996 and was granted it in 2004.<ref name=":0" /> His asylum status was upheld by the Board of Immigration Appeals in 2006.<ref name=":0" /><ref name=":2" />

While in the United States, he was tried in Bangladesh ''in absentia'' for his participation in the August 15 killings and the Bangladesh High Court sentenced him and eleven other people to death.<ref name=":2" /><ref name=":1" /> On 19 November 2009, the Bangladesh Supreme Court upheld the High Court verdict.<ref>{{cite news |date=14 August 2016 |title=Four could not even be traced |url=http://www.thedailystar.net/backpage/four-could-not-even-be-traced-1269388 |access-date=8 August 2017 |work=The Daily Star |language=en}}</ref> His conviction was based on the confessions of a co-defendant who alleged that Chowdhury was involved in the attack and assassination of Serniabat.<ref name=":1" /> According to the United States asylum proceedings, the witness later recanted their statement, saying they were tortured before signing the paper they never read.<ref name=":0" />

In the following years, Bangladesh officials have requested the extradition of Chowdhury multiple times.<ref name=":2" /> In 2020, United States Attorney General William Barr reopened the case, a move Chowdhury's attorneys have described as a favour to Bangladesh.<ref name=":0" />

== Bibliography == * {{Cite book |last= |first= |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=69rGjgEACAAJ |title=A Soldier's Debt: Sometimes the Only Way to Run ... is to the Other Side |date=2015 |publisher=Rashed Chowdhury |isbn=978-1-5174-6110-2 |language=en}} * {{Cite book |last= |first= |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=nwUUtAEACAAJ |title=Village Boy to Accidental Soldier |date=2017-01-18 |publisher=CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform |isbn=978-1-5394-6669-7 |language=en}} * {{Cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=zutzzgEACAAJ |title=President Ziaur Rahman: Legendary Leader of Bangladesh |date=June 25, 2021 |publisher=Writers Republic LLC |isbn=978-1637285732 |language=en}}

==References== {{Reflist|30em}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Chowdhury, Rashed}} Category:Living people Category:Bangladeshi lieutenant colonels Category:Recipients of the Bir Protik Category:Mukti Bahini personnel Category:Bangladeshi diplomats Category:Bangladesh Army officers Category:People of the 15 August 1975 Bangladeshi coup d'état Category:People sentenced to death in absentia Category:People convicted of murder by Bangladesh Category:Year of birth missing (living people)