Nasir Uddin Yousuff testifies against eight 'Al-Badr men'
Freedom fighter Nasir Uddin Yousuff yesterday testified as the 22nd prosecution witness in a case filed against eight “Al-Badr men” from Jamalpur, who allegedly committed crimes during the Liberation War in 1971.
The accused are Ashraf Hossain, Prof Sharif Ahammed, Abdul Mannan, Abdul Bari, Harun, Abul Hashem, Shamsul Haque, and SM Yusuf Ali, 83. All are on the run except for Shamsul and Yusuf.
They are facing five charges including genocide. Shamsul and Yusuf, however, pleaded not guilty.
Yousuff, also an eminent cultural personality, told the International Crimes Tribunal-1 that between 2007 and 2011, he presented a documentary programme “Muktijuddho Protidin” on Channel i, where the crimes committed by the Pakistani army and their local collaborators in 1971 were projected with evidence.
It also highlighted the valour of freedom fighters and included interviews of martyrs' family members, he said.
Yousuff said an episode on Jamalpur genocide was telecast on July 27, 2009, and he had taken an interview of one Saidur Rahman alias Sadu Chairman and Abdul Wahab as part of the programme.
Prosecutor Tapos Kanti Baul told The Daily Star that Saidur Rahman was a prosecution witness, and the investigation officer had taken his statement, but he died before submission of the probe report in the case.
The prosecution, however, submitted an interview Saidur Rahman had given to Channel i, to the tribunal as a prosecution document, and Yousuff yesterday talked about the interview, said Tapos.
Defence counsels declined to cross-examine Yousuff, and the three-member tribunal led by Justice Anwarul Haque adjourned the case proceeding until March 24.
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