In the wee hours of Thursday morning, Bangladesh authorities executed five ex-army officers for their role in the 1975 assassination of Sheikh Mujibur Rahman – the country's independence leader and its first President. Mujib, or Bongobondhu (friend of Bengalis) as he was popularly known as, was assassinated along with most of his family members, relatives and aides during a coup by young army officers on August 15, 1975. Two of his daughters survived, as they were out of the country at the time. The elder of the two, Sheikh Hasina, is the leader of Awami League and the current Prime Minister of Bangladesh. Bongobondhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman And Bangladeshi Flag. Image by Ujwala Prabhu. Used under a Creative Commons license For the supporters of Mujib, it had been a long, 34 year wait for justice and closure. Soon after the assassination, the newly installed President, Khondaker Mostaq Ahmed formulated the Indemnity Ordinance which offered legal immunity to those involved in the coup. It would be much later, in 1996, that Sheikh Hasina and her Awami League party would come into power and revoke the ordinance, thereby clearing the path for trial and conviction of those involved in the massacre. In 1998, 15 of the 20 accused were given death sentences by a judge. However, most of them had by then fled the country. Only 4 were in custody and later one more person was jailed after being extradited from the US. Nevertheless, the trial dragged its feet. When Hasina lost the 2001 elections, the next elected government did not show any interest in furthering the case. Furthermore, the usual bureacracy of the judiciary and the politicization of the process resulted in the trial slowing down. On returning to power as Prime Minister with a landslide victory in the 2008 Parliamentary Elections, Hasina promised a speedy conclusion of the trials. Finally the judicial process reached its conclusion earlier this month, with the President also turning down the convicts’ plea for clemency. Five convicts were hanged, with six others still absconding. As news of the late night execution spread, hordes of Mujib supporters crowded outside the Dhaka Central Jail. Emotions ran high. For many, it was a time for closure. Tiktiki at Unheard Voice wrote: The execution of the convicted murderers of Bangabandhu has happened. People started gathering around jail gate last night. The sms-es started flying. The journalists started gathering with cameras. There was a sense of inevitability around it. Yet, when it happened, how did the people react? I talked to one of them who until recently believed this will never happen. ‘Nothing to celebrate’, ‘End of a tragic chapter’, he said. But more importantly he said, it gives him a sense of closure. In the comment section of the same post, Robin wrote the following: I personally hoped hasina & Rehana and other members would recommend to the Court commutation to life in prison without the possibility of parole. I dont even know if that is possible in Bangladesh. Neverteless this was a long time coming & justice has prevailed however flawed and delayed. As ambulances left the jail premises with the dead bodies, the crowd apparently became a bit unruly, with some among them hurtling shoes and stones at the passing vehicles, thereby giving vent to pent up emotions. However, surprisingly there were no significant public demonstrations during the rest of the day. Brian Palmer noted in his Letter from Dhaka: The streets in the Dhanmondi section of Dhaka, where I am now, are traffic-choked and chaotic, but no more so than usual. Bangladeshi journalist colleagues report no major disturbances or celebrations other than last night’s deathwatch. They are slightly perplexed by the lack of public demonstrations and tell me they suspect that the ruling party, Sheikh Hasina’s Awami League, instructed its people not to make a ruckus. The opposition, the Bangladesh Nationalist Party, has issued no statements. This was an absolutely momentous event with very little public drama. However, emotions ran high among netizens who reflected these emotions in their writings online. Shamim Chowdhury, from Maryland, USA wrote in the forum Daily Online Alochona: …A shameful chapter been closed ushering return of trust on system of justice. Honor has returned home leaving dishonoring history behind. For last thirty-four years we have mourned Bangabandhu's departure with distress and guilty feeling for not been able to bring the killers to justice. Now justice has been served, we will be able to face the memory of our greatest leader, our friend, Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman. There were plenty of tweets and re-tweets announcing the news of the execution.