Against the backdrop of the first defence witness's repeated failure in attending court to face cross-examination, International Crimes Tribunal-1 yesterday asked the counsels of Jamaat-e-Islami leader Ghulam Azam to produce two defence witnesses today.
Abdullahil Aman Azmi, who earlier testified for Ghulam Azam, a war crimes suspect, did not attend the tribunal yesterday when he was to be cross-examined. The defence witness defaulted on Tuesday too.
The defence said Azmi could not come due to hartal.
Jamaat-e-Islami enforced countrywide dawn-to-dusk hartal on Tuesday and Wednesday, protesting the conviction of its leader Abdul Quader Mollah, who was sentenced to life in prison for committing crimes against humanity during the 1971 Liberation War.
The lone defence lawyer Asad Uddin yesterday said their conducting lawyer, Mizanul Islam, failed to attend court as he could not move without vehicle.
The tribunal said the prosecution would cross-examine the defence witness, so Mizanul Islam's presence was not necessary.
The counsel then reasoned that their witness also could not come due to "unavoidable circumstances" amid hartal.
When the tribunal asked the counsel for Azmi's residential address, he said he did not know it. The prosecution said Azmi lived in the capital's Moghbazar.
The three-member tribunal observed that the witness could come this short distance to the tribunal.
When the counsel reasoned that the witness did not come due to security reasons, the tribunal said it would take necessary measures if the defence filed an application in this regard.
The tribunal then strictly ordered the defence to produce two witnesses, including Azmi, today and said the proceeding would continue till afternoon without break.
Meanwhile, the war crimes suspect and BNP leader Salauddin Quader Chowhdury yesterday completed cross-examining the 18th prosecution witness. Chowdhury also reappointed his counsels whom he fired earlier.