SQ Chy warned over his comments against judges
BNP leader Salauddin Quader Chowdhury yesterday accused the judges of the International Crimes Tribunal of intimidating his lawyers, to which the tribunal responded, “This (tribunal) is a court, not a place for fun.”
At the hearing on his petition to stop proceedings against him in connection with war crimes, Salauddin claimed that the judges had successfully intimidated over 250 lawyers he had employed to move for him. He also said one of them was even trying to get bail in a sedition charge.
He accused tribunal chairman Justice Nizamul Huq of intimidating his lawyers and mentioned it as the reason behind only a handful of his lawyers (15) being present in the courtroom. Without specifying how the tribunal chairman had threatened his lawyers, the BNP leader said some of his lawyers are hiding due to the threats made.
“You have successfully intimated my lawyers,” he said, pointing to the tribunal chairman.
Justice Nizamul Huq asked Salauddin how the tribunal judges had prevented his lawyers from entering the courtroom since a number of his lawyers were present.
Salauddin then said only fifteen lawyers were allowed to enter the courtroom. "Sir, I am now in a situation where I'm swimming with my hands and legs tied."
“This (tribunal) is a court, not a place for fun,” the chairman said, adding that the tribunal could permit only ten lawyers for one accused due to accommodation issues.
Salauddin then said he would argue for himself, as he did not give any instructions to the lawyers who were present.
The three-judge tribunal headed by its chairman asked Salauddin to place his petition seeking a stay in the proceedings against him and exonerating him from the war crimes charges.
The BNP politician then read out the 21-page petition he had filed with the tribunal on November 23 in which he brought sedition allegations against the judges of the tribunal.
Salauddin in the petition stated that the tribunal had made the rules of procedure under the amended International Crimes (Tribunal) Act, 1973, disregarding constitutional provisions and so destroying his confidence in the constitution.
“I have filed this petition to protect my fundamental rights,” he said, adding that his fundamental rights were suspended under the International Crimes Tribunal Act 1973, which is against the constitution.
Under the constitution, any act of denting the confidence, belief or reliance of citizens in the constitution is sedition, which is a punishable offence, he argued, adding that only the Supreme Court with the approval of the president could make the rules of procedure under any law as per the constitution.
The charter does not allow a High Court judge to become a judge of the tribunal. Thus, two of the judges of the tribunal, Justice Nizamul Huq and Justice ATM Fazle Kabir, could not perform as judges of the tribunal since they were judges of the High Court, he said.
Justice AKM Zaheer Ahmed is the other judge of the tribunal.
The tribunal yesterday adjourned till 10:30am today the hearing on his petition.
Prosecutors on November 14 submitted formal charges against Salauddin, citing his involvement in 24 incidents of crimes against humanity, including murder, genocide, abduction and torture during the Liberation War of Bangladesh in 1971.
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