The International Crimes Tribunal-2 on Sunday recalled and stayed the warrant of arrest for veteran freedom fighter Zafrullah Chowdhury as he submitted a Supreme Court stay order over the tribunal’s earlier order for a penalty of Tk 5,000, until July 5.
The tribunal, on June 10, sentenced him to suffer one-hour jail and pay a fine of Tk 5,000 within seven days, in default, one month imprisonment, as he was found guilty of contempt of court for a statement criticising the tribunal’s conviction of journalist David Bergman for another contempt of court.
Zafrullah, also the founder of Gonoshasthaya Kendra, a health NGO, served the sentence on the same day, spending the one-hour time at the tribunal’s dock.
As soon as the conviction was announced on June 10, Zafrullah requested the tribunal to stay the orders to give him chance to appeal to the higher court.
As the tribunal did not pay heed to his request, he, addressing the tribunal judges said, ‘You have misused your power.’
Today, Zafrullah himself submitted the Supreme Court’s stay order’s copy to the tribunal registrar around 11:15am.
Later, the tribunal passed the order recalling and staying its Thursday’s order of arrest warrant until a further order in this connection, said Md Aftabuzzaman, acting deputy registrar of the tribunal.
Following submission of the stay order to the tribunal registrar, Zafrullah Chowdhury told reporters that issuing such a warrant of arrest for him even after Supreme Court’s stay order—news of which was published and broadcast by various print and electronic media—it was nothing but harassment.
On June 16, the Appellate Division of the Supreme Court had stayed till July 5 the tribunal’s verdict that fined Zafrullah Tk 5,000 on charge of contempt of the tribunal.
The tribunal, on June 10, sentenced him to suffer one-hour jail and pay a fine of Tk 5,000 within seven days, in default, one month imprisonment, as he was found guilty of contempt of court for a statement criticising the tribunal’s conviction of journalist David Bergman for another contempt of court.
Zafrullah, also the founder of Gonoshasthaya Kendra, a health NGO, served the sentence on the same day, spending the one-hour time at the tribunal’s dock.
As soon as the conviction was announced on June 10, Zafrullah requested the tribunal to stay the orders to give him chance to appeal to the higher court.
As the tribunal did not pay heed to his request, he, addressing the tribunal judges said, ‘You have misused your power.’
Today, Zafrullah himself submitted the Supreme Court’s stay order’s copy to the tribunal registrar around 11:15am.
Later, the tribunal passed the order recalling and staying its Thursday’s order of arrest warrant until a further order in this connection, said Md Aftabuzzaman, acting deputy registrar of the tribunal.
Following submission of the stay order to the tribunal registrar, Zafrullah Chowdhury told reporters that issuing such a warrant of arrest for him even after Supreme Court’s stay order—news of which was published and broadcast by various print and electronic media—it was nothing but harassment.
On June 16, the Appellate Division of the Supreme Court had stayed till July 5 the tribunal’s verdict that fined Zafrullah Tk 5,000 on charge of contempt of the tribunal.
Source: New Age
