Verdict any day
The International Crimes Tribunal-1 is set to deliver the verdict any day in the case against Syed Hasan Ali for his alleged crimes against humanity during the Liberation War.
The proceedings in the case completed yesterday. The alleged Razakar commander of Kishoreganj faces six charges of crimes against humanity and genocide. He is now on the run.
In the closing arguments of the trial, the prosecution urged the court to sentence Hasan to capital punishment claiming that it has been able to prove all six charges levelled against the accused.
However, the state-appointed defence counsel sought acquittal of his client saying that the prosecution “utterly failed” to prove the charges.
According to the prosecution, Hasan, alleged commander of Tarail thana unit Razakar in Kishoreganj sub-division, had set up a camp of the anti-liberation force at Tarail Police Station on April 23, 1971 and got involved in acts of genocide and crimes against humanity during the war.
After hearing the arguments from both the sides, Justice M Enayetur Rahim, chairman of the tribunal, said: “Hearing concluded; judgement CAV.” CAV (Curia Advisari Vult) is a Latin legal term which means the court wishes to be advised (judgement is reserved).
Justice Jahangir Hossain and Justice Anwarul Haque are the members of the tribunal.
Referring to the testimonies of prosecution witnesses, prosecutor Mohammad Ali said Hasan was “directly involved” in acts of genocide and crimes against humanity and the prosecution has been able to prove the charges.
“So, only death sentence, death sentence and death sentence can be his punishment,” he added.
Defence counsel Abdus Shukur Khan said although the prosecution labelled Hasan the Razakar commander of Tarail upazila, Hasan's name was not in the list of Razakars in the upazila which was submitted to the court by the prosecution.
Hasan's name was in the Razakars' list of Kishoreganj Sadar Upazila, he added. The lists were prepared by the local units of Bangladesh Muktijoddha Sangsad.
Shukur argued that neither the prosecution nor its witnesses said anything about the whereabouts of Hasan in 1971, his educational qualification and other relevant information.
The tribunal also expressed discontent about the information provided by the prosecution on the whereabouts of the accused.
BACKGROUND
Hasan of Machihata village in Brahmanbaria had been living in Tarail with his family for many years. Then 24, he was there during the nine-month-long war, according to the prosecution.
His father Syed Musleh Uddin was the vice-president of the East Pakistan unit of Pakistan Democratic Party (PDP) and chairman of the Peace Committee in Kishoreganj sub-division in 1971.
The PDP and Peace Committee opposed the country's independence.
Though he was not active in politics after the war, he was once involved with Nezam-e-Islami, another anti-liberation organisation.
The tribunal on April 3 last year had issued an arrest warrant against Hasan, but police submitted a report to the court declaring him a fugitive. The tribunal put the accused on trial in absentia.
On November 11 last year, the court indicted Hasan on six charges. The prosecution produced 26 witnesses, including the investigating officer of the case, before the court. The defence, however, did not produce any.
Charges: Torching and looting of seven houses of Hasan Ahmed and Sadot Ali of Sachail Purbapara village on April 27; Killing of one Tofazzal, abduction of two other people and burning of two houses at Konabhawal village on August 23; Act of genocide in Palpara of Shemulhati village on September 9 that left 12 people killed; Act of genocide at Borgaon village on September 27 that left eight people killed and abduction of 10 others; Abduction and murder of Kamini Kumar Ghosh and Jibon Chakravarty and looting of Ghosh's house at Araiura village on October 8; and killing of Rashid Ali Bepari and torching 100 houses at Sachail village on December 11.
TRIBUNAL-2
The prosecution yesterday completed its closing arguments in the case against Mahidur Rahman and Afsar Hossain Chutu, two alleged Razakars from Chapainawabganj.
In his closing arguments, prosecutor Sahidur Rahman urged the International Crimes Tribunal-2 to hand “exemplary punishment” to the accused.
The court asked the defence counsels to present their arguments today.
Mahidur and Chutu face three charges, but the prosecution did not produce any witness in support of the third charge. The two are now behind bars.
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