Nizami verdict now Wednesday

A tribunal in Dhaka today fixed tomorrow (Wednesday) for delivering the long-awaited judgement in the war crimes case against Jamaat-e-Islami chief Motiur Rahman Nizami four months after the deferment of the verdict.

The 71-year-old former lawmaker and minister is facing 16 war crimes charges for his alleged involvement in the crimes against humanity and genocide during 1971 war.

With the latest order, the tribunal kept the case waiting for verdict delivery for the third time.

The International Crimes Tribunal-1 was scheduled to deliver the verdict on June 24 but the court deferred the judgement as Nizami was not produced in the courtroom “due to illness”.

After fixing the fresh date for delivering the verdict, The ICT-1 headed by its chairman Justice M Enayetur Rahim ordered the jail authorities to produce Nizami before the court by 10:30am tomorrow, reports our correspondent from the court.

Nizami, Jamaat ameer since November 2000, was arrested on June 29, 2010, in a case filed in connection with hurting religious sentiments of the Muslims. He was shown arrested in the war crimes case later.

The investigation agency, designated to deal with war crimes probes, handed over a 411-page probe report on Nizami to the prosecution on October 2011, and the prosecution on December 11, 2011, submitted formal charges against the Jamaat chief.

The Tribunal-1 took the charges into cognisance on January 9, 2012.

Nizami, the president of the then Jamaat-e-Islami student wing Islami Chhatra Sangha and chief of Pakistan army auxiliary force Al-Badr, was indicted on May 28, 2012.

On November 26, 2012, the prosecution produced their first witnesses and subsequently produced 25 more.

The defence began producing their witness on October 21, 2013, and a total of four witnesses testified.

Prosecution began placing closing arguments on November 3, 2013, and took four days to complete their arguments. Against the backdrop of repeated failure of the defence to appear before the tribunal to place arguments, the Tribunal-1 drew conclusion to the case on November 13, 2013, and kept the case waiting for verdict delivery.

The defence were, however, given the opportunity to place their closing arguments later and the trial proceedings was finished on November 20 last year.

But then tribunal chairman Justice ATM Fazle Kabir went on retirement and the chairman of the tribunal, appointed on February 23, decided to re-hear the closing arguments.

The Tribunal-1 chairman with members Justice Jahangir Hossain Selim and Justice Md Anwarul Haque kept the case waiting for verdict delivery for the second time on March 24.

Nizami has already been awarded the death penalty in the 10-truck arms haul case this year.

CHARGES AGAINST NIZAMI

1. Causing the arrest, detention, torture and murder of three people including head maulana Kasim Uddin of Pabna Zilla School on June 4, 1971.

2. Conspiring to commit crimes, and cause the killings of 450 people, rape of 30-40 women and deportation of the villagers of Baousgari, Ruposhi and Demra in Pabna on May 14, 1971.

3. Complicity in torture, murder and rape at Mohammadpur Physical Training Institute in Dhaka during the war.

4. Complicity in murder, rape, looting and destruction of properties at Karamja of Pabna on May 8, 1971.

5. Complicity in the murder of 21 unarmed villagers of Arpara and Vutergari under Ishwardi Police Station on April 16, 1971.

6. Command responsibility for and involvement in the murder of 30 people of Dhulaura village on November 27, 1971.

7. Complicity in torture and murder of Sohrab Ali on December 3, 1971.

8. Murder of Bodi, Rumi, Jewel and Azad at the Old MP Hostel on August 30, 1971.

9. Act of genocide that left about 70 Hindus of Brishalikha village killed on December 3, 1971.

10. Involvement in the destruction of Onil Chandra Kundu's house.

11. Delivering an inciting speech on August 3, 1971, during a meeting of Islami Chhatra Sangha at the Muslim Institute of Chittagong.

12. Delivering an inciting speech on August 22, 1971, during a meeting organised in remembrance of Al Madani at the Islamic Academy Hall.

13. Delivering an inciting speech on September 8, 1971, marking the defence day on the Arts Building premises organised by Dhaka city unit of Chhatra Sangha.

14. Delivering an inciting speech to Razakars of Jessore on September 10, 1971.

15. Hatching a conspiracy to commit crimes at Sathia Pilot High School with Razakar commander Samad Miah.

16. Act of genocide to eliminate intellectuals and professionals.