Witnesses still not feeling safe

"What can I say about the verdict? We had fought a war in 1971 and now we are fighting a second war."
This is how Manik Posari, who once fought for the liberation of his motherland, reacted to the Supreme Court judgment in Delawar Hossain Saydee's war crimes cases. He spoke to The Daily Star over the phone from a location he did not disclose for security reasons.

The apex court yesterday commuted the death sentence of the Jamaat-e-Islami leader to imprisonment till death for his crimes against humanity committed during the 1971 Liberation War in 1971.
The International Crimes Tribunal-1 in February last year sentenced him to death for his war crimes.
"I am not happy with the verdict ... I have to accept the judgment handed down by the apex court of the country. But what have we got?" said a disappointed Posari, who had filed a case against Sayedee even before the latter's trial began at the tribunal in 2011.
The disappointment over the judgment was echoed in what another prosecution witness AKMA Awal, also the MP of Pirojpur-1, said: "The expectations of the pro-liberation people have not been reflected in the verdict." He declined to make any further comment on the judgment.
Once a fearless freedom fighter, Manik Posari now fears for his life. He lives under constant police protection, just like many others who testified against Sayedee and now feel that their lives are under threat.
"We are living a captive's life. Will they (Sayedee's followers) spare us?" Manik said, expressing concerns for his and his family's safety.
His fears are not unfounded.
A key prosecution witness in Sayedee's case, Mostafa Hawlader was injured critically in December last year when he came under attack allegedly by Jamaat-Shibir men at his house in Pirojpur. He died of his wounds two days later.
Another prosecution witness Mahabubul Alam Howlader was injured in an attack allegedly by Jamaat-Shibir activists on October 28 last year.
Following the incidents, the government provided security for the prosecution witnesses in Pirojpur, Sayedee's hometown. And the protection measures were heightened ahead of yesterday's verdict.
At least 10 prosecution witnesses of Zianagar upazila have been kept at a safe home in an undisclosed location from Tuesday afternoon, to protect them from attacks by Jamaat-Shibir men.
The security was so tight that police did not even give the names of these witnesses.
“We have ensured the highest security for all those who testified against Sayedee,” said Md Shah Abid Hossain, superintendent of Pirojpur police, declining to reveal the identities of the witnesses.
“There are around 10-12 witnesses under our protection,” that's all Shah Abid said when our Pirojpur correspondent talked to him. They were kept at the safe house till 9:30 last night when this report was filed.
A total of 28 people, including the investigation officer and several seizure-list witnesses, testified against Sayedee. And despite all these security measures, the witnesses hardly feel safe.
“Though we are under tight security now, we are afraid of attacks on our lives in future,” said Mahbubul Alam Hawlader, who had already fallen victim to the Jamaat-Shibir brutality last year.
Besides, the houses and properties of prosecutors and judges dealing with the war crimes cases came under attacks allegedly by Jamaat-Shibir men during the anti-government movement last year.
Against this backdrop, the investigation agency of the tribunal in December last year proposed an amendment to the war crimes law to provide for the lifelong security of the witnesses. It asked the home ministry to incorporate two provisions into the International Crimes (Tribunals) Act, 1973 in this regard.
The first proposal was that witnesses, victims, judges and officials of the tribunals, members of the prosecution and investigation agencies and their families be entitled to physical protection for rest of their lives.
To ensure the wellbeing of the witnesses, it also proposed that the witnesses, victims and their families be entitled to state benefits, like the freedom fighters.
In January, the home ministry forwarded the proposals to the law ministry. Shawkat Mostafa, additional secretary of the home ministry, confirmed this to The Daily Star on January 16.
And then it hit the wall. The move did not see any further progress in the last eight months.
Sanaul Huq, who submitted the proposals on behalf of the probe agency, said, "There is no progress ... The proposals have been stuck at the law ministry."
However, Law Secretary ASSM Zahirul Haque Dulal denied even receiving the proposals.
It is the home ministry that is responsible for ensuring security of the prosecution witnesses, Dulal told The Daily Star, shirking the law ministry's responsibilities in this regard.