BSS, Dhaka :
Trial of two cases of crimes against humanity during the War of Liberation against Nayeb-e- Ameer of Jamaat-e-Islam Abdus Sobhan and fugitive Jatiya Party (JP) lawmaker Abdul Zabbar are now at final stage.
Verdicts on three other cases against assistant secretary general of Jamaat ATM Azharul Islam, Mobarak Hossain of Brahmanbaria and former state minister and JP leader Syed Mohammad Kaisar, are expected soon. The International Crimes Tribunal (ICT) kept the date of the verdicts on CAV (curia advisary vult, a Latin legal term meaning court awaits verdict). “Verdicts in three cases will soon be delivered while the verdict in two other cases will be delivered after completion of the arguments, which are now at the final stage,” senior prosecutor of the tribunal Syed Haider Ali told BSS.
ICT formed on March 25 in 2010, handed down capital punishment to former Jamaat rukon Abul Kalam Azad in absentia in its first verdict on January 21 in 2013 . The second tribunal was formed on March 22 in 2012 to expedite the trial process.
The tribunal in its last verdict announced death sentence to Faridpur Nagarakanda Pourashova Mayor and BNP leader, fugitive Zahid Hossain alias Khokan.
ICT-1 and 2 have so far delivered verdicts in twelve cases for crimes against humanity. One of the verdicts, awarding death sentence to Jamaat leader Abdul Quader Mollah was executed on December 12 last year after getting verdict of the Appellate Division (AD) of the Supreme Court (SC). The tribunal on February 28 last year awarded death sentence to Nayeb-e – Ameer Maulana Delwar Hossain Sayedee while the AD of the SC gave him lifetime imprisonment following an appeal against the tribunal verdict on September 17 last.
It also passed death sentence to Jamaat leader Mohammad Kamaruzzaman on May 9 last year while the AD upheld the verdict on Nov 3. The tribunal sentenced 90 years imprisonment to former Jamaat chief Ghulam Azam on the ground of his age and health condition on June 15 last year. He died on October 23 last.
On October 1 last year, the tribunal pronounced death sentence against BNP standing committee member Salahuddin Quader Chowdhury while former minister and BNP leader Abdul Alim was awarded lifetime imprisonment on October 9 last year considering his age and health condition. He died on August 30 last. The tribunal awarded death sentence to Al Badr leaders Ashrafuzzaman Khan and Chowdhury Mainuddin on November 3 last year for killing intellectuals during the War of Liberation. Both of them are fugitive. ICT awarded death sentence to incumbent Jamaat and Al Badr chief Maulana Matiur Rahman Nizami on October 29 and Jamaat’s executive committee member Mir Kashem Ali on November 2 last.
