Alim's petition rejected
The International Crimes Tribunl-2 yesterday rejected a petition for reviewing the indictment order against war crimes accused former BNP lawmaker Abdul Alim for his alleged involvement in crimes against humanity committed during the Liberation War.
The three-member tribunal headed by Justice ATM Fazle Kabir passed the order with the observation that "the matter agitated [in the review petition] may well be adjudicated even at the trial stage".
Judge Md Shahinur Islam, one of the members of the tribunal, delivered the order in presence of the eighty-one-year-old politician and former minister of Ziaur Rahman's cabinet.
Earlier on June 11, the tribunal framed 17 specific charges against Alim that include committing genocide, murder of Bangalee civilians, and burying people alive during the 1971 War.
The tribunal the same day fixed July 9 for recording the opening statement from the prosecution. But, placing a petition on June 20, the defence sought review of a single matter of the indictment order.
In their review petition, defence counsels said the prosecution, in their formal charges, mentioned Alim as the chairman of Joypurhat sub-division Peace Committee and a Razakar commander.
But the tribunal framed the charges mentioning Alim as a "local influential leader of Razakar force as well as the chairman of a local peace committee," they said.
"Local influential leader" and "local peace committee" make the allegations "unspecific" and it is difficult to prepare the defence on the basis of "unspecific allegations", they argued.
Therefore, the order should be reviewed, otherwise the accused would be prejudiced, the defence added.
In yesterday's order, the tribunal said it did not find any substantial ground for considering the petition and the matter agitated in the review petition could be disposed of through evidence during the trial stage.
"Thus, we are implying to reject the petition," said Md Shahinur.
Meanwhile, the tribunal allowed two counsels of another war crimes accused Jamaat leader Muhammad Kamaruzzaman to meet their client at jail custody for preparing their defence.
Defence lawyers Ehsan A Siddiq and Shishir Md Manir will be allowed to meet their client at the Kashimpur Central Jail-2 from 10:00am to 1:00pm on July 7.
For the fourth time, Kamaruzzaman, who on June 4 was indicted on seven charges of crimes against humanity, has been permitted to meet his counsels.
In another war crimes case, proceeding against BNP leader Salauddin Quader Chowdhury was not held yesterday at the International Crimes Tribunal-1 due to repair work at the courtroom.
The proceeding of the ICT-1, on Wednesday was suspended when a slab of the false ceiling of the court caved in.
AKM Nasiruddin Mahmud, registrar of the tribunal, said the repairing work will continue during the weekend and the court proceeding is likely to resume on Sunday.
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