Three absconding Al-Badr men Md Ashraf Hossain, 64, Md Abdul Mannan, 66, and Md Abdul Bari, 62 were on Monday handed death sentences and five others to jail terms until death for the war crimes they committed in the then Jamalpur sub-division during the Liberation War.
The summary of the 289-page unanimous verdict of the three-judge International Crimes Tribunal-1 was pronounced by the presiding judge, Justice Anwarul Haque, in a crowded courtroom in the Old High Court Building in the capital amid high security.
Life terms until death were handed to Md Shamsul Haque, 75, SM Yusuf Ali, 83, Sharif Ahammed, 71, Harun, 58, and Md Abul Hashem, 65.
Sharif, Harun and Hashem are absconding while the others were in the dock.
Justice Md Shahinur Islam read out parts of the verdict summary.
The tribunal left the option open to the government
to either hang or put the three death sentence recipients before firing squads.
Shamsul and Yusuf looked sad as they heard the verdict seated on chairs in the dock.
In 1971, all the convicts were leaders and activists of Jamaat and it’s the then student wing, Islami Chattra Sangha.
Members of their families were present in the courtroom.
The tribunal directed the home secretary and the inspector general of police to get the six absconding convicts arrested.
It also directed them to seek, if needed, assistance from the Inter-Pol, to get the absconding convicts arrested.
The verdict was delivered 29 days after their trial was completed on June 19.
On October 26, 2015, the eight were indicted on five counts of crimes against humanity.
The tribunal found them guilty of three charges.
They were acquitted of two charges for what the tribunal said ‘lack of sufficient evidence.’
Ashraf, Mannan and Bari were sentenced to death for abducting 18 pro-liberation villagers on July 7, July 14 and July 22 from Phulbaria and Bodra Bausi villages under Sadar police station in the then Jamalpur sub-division, confining and torturing them at the Al-Badr torture cell they had opened at t Jamalpur Primary Training Inspitute in Jamalpur town and murdering them at the cremation ghat in Jamalpur on the night of July 22, 1971.
Sharif and Harun got life terms until death for abetting, aiding and participating in the murders.
Ashraf, Sharif, Mannan, Bari, Hashem, Shamsul and Yusuf were jailed until death for abducting Awami League leader and Liberation War organizer Nurul Amin Mallick from his home at Doyamoyee Lane in Jamalpur town on the dawn of July 10, 1971 and his body was found afloat on the Brahmaputra River at around 10 AM.
Ashraf, Sharif, Mannan and Bari were also sentenced to life terms until death as they were found guilty of confining, torturing and murdering innocent pro-liberation people at the torture cell run by the Al-Badr force at the Ashek Mahmud College’s hostel for degree students between April 22, 1971 and December 11, 1971.
The verdict says that their jail terms would run concurrently.
The life terms of Ashraf, Mannan and Bari would get merged with their death sentences.
The tribunal acquitted Shamsul and Yusuf of the charge of abduction, torture, murder, looting, setting houses on fire and other inhumane acts around the then Jamalpur sub-division from April 22, 1971 to December 11, 1971 saying that sufficient evidence was not produced to prove the charge.
It also acquitted Ashraf, Sharif, Mannan, Bari, Hashem, Shamsul and Yusuf of the charge of confining thousands of people, torturing and murdering them at Al-Badr force’s torture cell at PTI Hostel in Jamalpur between April 22, 1971 and December 11, 1971 as adequate evidences were not produced to prove it.
Prosecutor Tureen Afroz said that she was satisfied that all the accused had been convicted.
Gazi MH Tamim, who defended Shamsul and Yusuf, said his clients would appeal against the verdict.
During the trial, 25 prosecution witnesses testified against the accused.
The defence produced no witnesses.
In 1971, Shamsul Haque and Yusuf Ali led the peace committee in Jamalpur as local Jamaat leaders.
As the president of Jamalpur chapter of Islami Chhatra Sangha, the then student wing of Jamaat, Ashraf formed the Al-Badr force in the sub-division.
Sharif and Harun were also local leaders of Jamaat in 1971.
Mannan, Bari and Hashem were members of the Islami Chhatra Sangha and joined the local Al-Badr force, the prosecution said.
This was the 25th verdict in as many war crimes cases in independent Bangladesh.
Until now, 26 war offenders were sentenced to death and 16 others to different jail terms.
New Age correspondent in Jamalpur reported that the victims’ close relatives demanded immediate arrest of absconding convicts.
Victim Nurul Amin Mallik’s widow Rawshan Ara Mallik, expressed satisfaction over the verdict.
Victim Hamid Muktar’s sister in law Laila Mostari demanded immediate arrest of the absconding death sentence recipients.
Source: bdnews24
