Tribunal asks for report on Subhan's war crimes

The International Crimes Triubnal-1 yesterday ordered its investigation agency to submit a progress report on the probe against war crimes suspect Maulana Abdus Subhan on November 4.
The tribunal also ordered to produce detained Subhan on that day.
Following a prosecution petition on September 23 the tribunal asked the prison authorities to keep Subhan detained and produce him before the court yesterday.
The Jamaat-e-Islami nayeb-e-ameer was arrested in another case on September 20.
Mentioning that Subhan is a lawmaker, and was suffering from different ailments and that he was 84 years old, defence counsel Abdur Razzaq yesterday urged the tribunal to provide division for Subhan.
The tribunal in its order directed the jail authorities to take steps in this regard according to the jail code.
Razzaq also submitted a bail petition for Subhan.
The tribunal, however, did not hear the petition due to time constraint and fixed today for the hearing.
Tribunal Chairman Justice Md Nizamul Huq deferred the cross-examination of the first prosecution witness in the war crimes case against Jamaat chief Motiur Rahman Nizami until October 7.
It also adjourned proceedings of the case against Jamaat leader Delawar Hossain Sayedee until today.
GHULAM AZAM'S CASE
Tribunal-1 yesterday recorded the testimony of a prosecution witness in camera in the war crimes case against former Jamaat chief Ghulam Azam.
Before recording of the testimony of the witness began, prosecutor Zead Al Malum told the tribunal that the witness was the wife of a Liberation War martyr and a mother of a martyr too.
He said the witness might become emotional and that the recording of her testimony should be done behind closed doors.
Justice Nizamul then asked the prosecutor why he did not inform the tribunal of this earlier. “Do you want me to ask the presence to leave the room? Will it be well-mannered?” said the tribunal chief.
Justice Nizamul then took a five-minute break allowing the people to leave the courtroom.
The defence counsel asked if they could have three counsels instead of the usual two in the closed-door courtroom.
The tribunal allowed three lawyers.
Following the completion of the witness's deposition, the defence began cross-examination of the witness, said a prosecution lawyer.
The proceeding of the case was adjourned until today.
MOJAHEED'S CASE
Meanwhile, Tribunal-2 yesterday continued recording the cross-examination of Zahir Uddin Jalal, the second prosecution witness in war crimes case against Jamaat Secretary General Ali Ahsan Mohammad Mojaheed.
Defence counsel Syed Mizanur Rahman cross-examined the witness for one-hour and asked him around 30 questions, mostly about his paternal uncle's house at Old Dhaka, where he used to go to hide himself in fear of the collaborators of Pakistan.
Yesterday was the third day of Jalal's cross-examination.
Mizanur said 15, DC Roy Road, which was the witness's uncle's house at Old Dhaka, was a Hindu hotel in 1971 and the owner of the land was Zamindar Bakul Chowdhury.
“It is not true,” replied Jalal.
Mizanur suggested that as Jalal's uncle was a police official, they occupied the property and have kept it under their control.
“You used to go there [uncle's house] not for hiding rather to continue your occupancy over the property [in 1971],” suggested Mizanur.
The witness denied that too.
Mizanur's suggestion, however, appeared contradictory to another suggestion he had made during Jalal's cross-examination on September 27.
Mizanur had suggested that the Pakistan army used to be on duty setting check post in that area during the war and the witness did not go there at that time.
Replying to another question, Jalal said Rumi was his co-fighter.
Rumi is the son of Shaheed Janani Jahanara Imam, who became the symbolic mother of all martyrs for her sacrifice and role during the war and afterwards.
On September 20, Jalal testified that Jamaat leaders Motiur Rahman Nizami and Mojaheed tortured martyred freedom fighter Rumi and musician Altaf Mahmud at a camp of the Pakistani army in Dhaka.
Rumi and Altaf never came home as Nizami and Mojaheed decided to have them killed, he had added.
Replying to another question, Jalal, also known as Bichchhu Jalal, said he had closely worked with Jahanara Imam when Ekatturer Ghatak Dalal Nirmul Committee was formed under her leadership to try the “anti-liberation people”.
The defence counsel asked, “Was Jahanara Imam aware of your participation in the Liberation War, your identity as Bichchhu and your other activities?”
“Yes,” replied Jalal.
The three-member tribunal headed by Justice ATM Fazle Kabir adjourned the cross-examination until today.
Mojaheed is facing seven charges of crimes against humanity, including murder, genocide and hatching a conspiracy to kill intellectuals during the nine-month-long war.