Sayedee, govt appeal against verdict
Delawar Hossain Sayedee/Star file photo
Jamaat leader Delawar Hossain Sayedee has challenged his death penalty for war crimes while the government sought capital punishment on all charges he was found guilty.
One of the two international crimes tribunals set up to deal with the crimes against humanity cases on February 28 handed down death sentence to Sayedee on two out of eight charges he was found guilty.
Both the Jamaat nayeb-e-ameer and the government filed separate appeals with the Supreme Court in a span of few hours on Thursday.
Counsels for Sayedee submitted the 235-page appeal before the Appellate Division/appeal section seeking acquittal from the charges of crimes against humanity during the country's liberation war in 1971.
Advocate Tajul Islam, a lawyer for Sayedee, told The Daily Star that they had annexed documents of around 5,000-page along with the appeal.
He however could not say when the apex court would hold hearing on the appeal.
Later in the day, the government filed an appeal with the apex court, seeking capital punishment to Sayedee in each of six crimes against humanity charges for which he did not get any punishment by the tribunal.
The attorney general’s office submitted the 202-page appeal to the SC's appeal section in the afternoon.
The International Crimes Tribunal -1 on February 28 sentenced the Jamaat leader to death in two war crime charges although eight out of total 20 charges were proved.
Additional Attorney General MK Rahman told The Daily Star that they had prayed in the appeal to the apex court to give death sentence to Sayedee on all six charges for which the tribunal has not given any sentence to him.
He also said the government had also sought justice in 12 other charges which were not proved before the tribunal against Sayedee.
MK Rahman said there was a great error and miscarriage of justice in the ICT-1 verdict as it has not given any punishment to Sayedee on the six crimes.
The state lawyer said they would file a petition with the SC next week for fixing a date for hearing the appeal.
SAYEDEE GUILTY IN 8 CHARGES
On May 7, 1971, Sayedee identified the houses and shops of the Hindus, and people who support Awami League and the Liberation War at Parerhat Bazar in Pirojpur. He as one of the perpetrators raided those shops and houses and looted valuables, including 22 shers of gold and silver from the shop of one Makhanlal Saha.
On May 8, 1971, Sayedee led a team of the Pakistan army to the house of Nurul Islam Khan, where he identified for the army Nurul Islam as an Awami League leader and his son Shahidul Islam Selim as a freedom fighter. Sayedee then detained Nurul Islam and handed him over to the army men who tortured Nurul Islam. His house was then looted and finally set on fire.
On May 8, 1971, Sayedee and his accomplices accompanied by the Pakistan army raided the house of one Manik Posari at Chitholia in Pirojpur and captured his brother Mofizuddin and one Ibrahim. Sayedee's accomplices then burned five houses down. On the way to the Pakistani army's camp, Sayedee instigated the army personnel to kill Ibrahim by shooting and dump his body near a bridge. Mofiz was taken to the army camp and tortured. Sayedee directly took part in the abduction, murder and persecution of the victims, said the court.
On June 2, 1971, Sayedee's armed associates under his leadership and accompanied by the Pakistan army burned 25 houses down at the Hindu-dominated neighbourhood of Umedpur village in Indurkani of the district. At one stage, Bisabali was tied to a coconut tree and was shot dead by Sayedee's accomplice.
On June 2, 1971, Sayedee led a team of Peace (Shanti) Committee members, accompanied by the Pakistani army, to raid the house of Mahbubul Alam Howlader (freedom fighter) of Tengra Khali village in Indurkani. Sayedee and the team then detained Mahbubul's elder brother Abdul Mazid Howlader and tortured him, and looted cash money, jewellery and other valuables from the house.
During the final stages of the war, Sayedee one morning led a team of 50 to 60 Razakars into the attack on the Hindu-dominated neighbourhood of Hoglabunia in Pirojpur. Seeing the attackers, the Hindus managed to flee but one Shefali Gharami failed. Some Razakars entered her room and raped her. Being the leader of the team, Sayedee failed to prevent them from committing rape. He and the members of his team also set fire to the dwellings of the neighbourhood.
During the Liberation War, Sayedee led a group of 10-12 armed Razakars and Peace Committee members and surrounded the house of Gouranga Saha of Parerhat Bandar in Pirojpur. Sayedee and the others abducted three women and handed them over to the Pakistan army at Pirojpur where they were confined and raped for three days before being released.
During the war, Sayedee, being a member of Razakar and exercising his power, forced 100-150 Hindus of Parerhat and other villages to convert to Islam and compelled them to go to the mosque to offer prayers.
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