Staff Reporter :The International Crimes Tribunal-1 exempted the Editor of The Daily Sangram and three others of contempt charge with a warning on Thursday. The three-member Tribunal, headed by Justice Enayetur Rahim, asked the Editor and others to remain cautious while speaking and publishing news in future. Earlier, the Tribunal issued a contempt notice against Editor of the Daily Sangram Abul Asad, Rangpur correspondent of the newspaper Mohammad Nuruzzaman, former local commander of Muktijoddha Sangsad Ikramul Haque Dulu and former Chhatra League leader Advocate Azizur Rahman Ranga for publishing contemptuous news on August 3 last year. Jamaat-e-Islami leader ATM Azharul Islam, accused of crimes against humanity during the liberation and later awarded with death penalty, claimed himself innocent and denied any involvement in 1971 crimes. The Sangram Editor and others faced the contempt charge for publishing his comments in the newspaper as the Jamaat leader was under trial at the Tribunal at that time for his links with crimes against humanity. Ikramul Haque Dulu and Azizur Rahman Ranga were quoted in a Sangram report as saying that they had never heard of any Razakar commander named Azhar. The vernacular newspaper also published a news on their comments, carrying the headline that there was no student leader named Azhar at Carmichael College of Rangpur from 1969 to 1974. However, the Tribunal exonerated them from the contempt charge as they offered unconditional apology for publishing news about sub judice matters. They also published rejoinder for the reports in the newspaper following the Tribunal’s directive. In the order, the Tribunal asked to remain respectful of law.
