Five men of Patuakhali charged with war crimes

The prosecution have pressed two charges against five Patuakhali men for allegedly committing crimes against humanity during the Liberation War in 1971.

Prosecutors Zead Al Malum and Rezia Sultana Chaman submitted the charges, statements of witnesses and others documents to the International Crimes Tribunal-1 through tribunal's registrar officer on Thursday.

The accused are: Esahaq Shikder, 83, Abdul Goni Hawlader, 72, Md Awal alias Awal Moulavi, 69, Abdus Sattar Pyada, 65, and Solaiman Mridha, 86, of Patuakhali Sadar upazila. All are in jail now.

According to the charges, on May 4, 1971, the five along with a group of Pakistani army killed 17 people of Itbaria village, torched and  looted 21 houses, and abducted six children and 15 women, whom they confined to Patuakhali Circuit House and raped for 10 days. The tribunal yesterday fixed November 17 to decide whether it would take the charges into cognisance.