Staff Reporter :
The International Crimes Tribunal on Thursday handed down death sentence to six people on charge of crimes committing against humanity including murder, genocide and abduction during the Liberation War in Khulna.
A three-member bench of the tribunal headed by Justice Md Shahinur Islam delivered the verdict after concluding the trail process. The other two member of the bench are Justice Md Abu Ahmed Jamadar and Justice KM Hafizul Alam.
The convicts are Amjad Hossain Howlader, Shahar Ali Sardar, Atiar Rahman Sheikh, Motasin Billah, Kamal Uddin Goldar and Nazrul Islam. Among them, Nazrul Islam is absconding, but the other five were brought to court
to hear the verdict.
Prosecutors Muklesur Rahman Badal and Sabina Yesmin Khan stood for the state, while Abdus Sattar Palwan and others represented the accused.
Expressing satisfaction with the verdict, Prosecutor Badal told the reporters, “The tribunal has awarded the maximum sentence of death to all the six accused as the prosecution could prove all the charges against the accused beyond doubt.”
However, Abdus Sattar Palawan, a lawyer of the convicts, said his client did not get justice. They will appeal with the apex court against the verdict.
The tribunal on January 22 in 2019 framed charge against seven accused on charge of committing crimes against humanity including murder, genocide, abduction, torture, looting and other offences. However, one of the accused, Mozahar Ali Sheikh, died of natural causes during the trial process.
The formal investigation of the case started on Nov 15, 2015, and the report was filed with the tribunal on Aug 8, 2017. The tribunal concluded the charge framing hearing on October 29 in 2018 and framed charge on January 22 in 2019.
A total of seventeen witnesses testified for the prosecution against the accused in the case. The tribunal on May 22 this year kept the case for CAV (Curia advisari vult) after the presentation of legal arguments by both sides following the cross examination of the witnesses. Finally on July 26, the court fixed July 28 for delivering the judgment.
