Closing arguments against Kamaruzzaman starts Sunday

Muhammad Kamaruzzaman

International Crimes Tribunal-2 has fixed Sunday for starting the closing arguments in a war crimes case against Jamaat-e-Islami leader Muhammad Kamaruzzaman as the defence for the third consecutive day failed to produce their last witness before it.

The three-member tribunal led by Justice Obaidul Hassan fixed the date on Thursday.

The court however gave a chance to the defence saying that it would allow their witness if Kamaruzzaman's counsels could produce him before starting the closing arguments on Sunday.

On Wednesday The tribunal, apparently annoyed at the recurrent failure, asked the defence to produce the last witness today and said otherwise it would close the defence testimony.

Kamaruzzaman, who is facing seven charges of crimes against humanity committed during the Liberation War in 1971, was produced before the tribunal Thursday morning.

The Jamaat assistant secretary general was indicted on June 4, last year.

As many as 18 prosecution witnesses including the investigation officer of the case gave their testimony against the Jamaat leader, while four defence witnesses have testified in the case.

Meanwhile, the tribunal also directed police authority to submit an execution report about the arrest warrant against the Jamaat acting secretary general Rafiqul Islam Khan and central executive council member Hamidur Rahman Azad in connection with a contempt of court by April 10.

On March 6, ICT-2 issued arrest warrants against Rafiqul, Azad and Jamaat's Dhaka city unit Assistant Secretary General Selim Uddin Selim for repeatedly failing to show up before the court to explain “their derogatory” remarks about the tribunal.

Following the order, Selim was arrested on March 8.