Alim to serve life in jail for war crimes

Once a Muslim League leader who went on to serve Ziaur Rahman as a minister, the 83-year-old is the second BNP leader to be convicted and the third former minister to be found guilty of crimes committed  to stop Bangladesh emerge as a sovereign nation.

Three-strong International Crimes Tribunal-2 Chairman Justice Obaidul Hassan delivered the damning verdict in a crowded courtroom at 12:35pm on Wednesday.

Alim was held ‘liable’ for deportation as described in the first of the charges.

He has been found guilty of genocide in charges 2, 8, and 10.

Charge numbers 6, 7, 9, 12, and 14 – pertaining to killing — have been proven against the former BNP minister.

However, the tribunal failed to prove charge numbers 3, 11, 13, 15, 16, and 17 beyond reasonable doubt, the tribunal observed.

The tribunal Chairman said the prosecution had been able to prove Alim’s involvement beyond a shadow of doubt in nine of the 17 charges.

“No physically or mentally unfit person should be made to face the gallows,” said the Chairman in the verdict, adding the convict is old and cannot walk on his own.

“He (Alim) has never articulated any remorse…so, his being in liberty shall be painful for humanity,” said Justice Hassan.

“So, he is sentenced to prison till his natural death.”

Justice Md Mujibur Rahman Mia and Judge Shahinur Islam – the two others judges of the second war crimes tribunal set up to expedite trials of crimes against humanity during the 1971 Liberation War – read out two parts of the summary verdict.

The judgment dwelled on how Alim, who was an advocate by training, had committed a series of murder, genocide, loot, arson and abduction and torture with the help of Pakistani troops during the nine months the War of Independence, lasted.

The prosecution held him as ‘more responsible’ as he abetted and committed those crimes even after being a lawyer and an educated citizen.

The verdict described how then the 42-year old influential leader of the Convention Muslim League that opposed independence had helped the Razakar recruit and train militias as the Joypurhat Mahakuma (sub-division) ’Peace Committee’ Chairman.

Alim had also taken over the office of one Saonlal Bajla, a jute trader, and turned it into the office of the local Joypurhat Peace Committee. He opened a torture cell there and was also involved with forming the local Razakar unit.

According to the prosecution, the former MP was a leader of the Razakar, a vigilante militia group responsible for widespread atrocities that amounted to war crimes.

Al-Badr, Al Shams and Razakar were mobilised by the Jamaat-e-Islami, its student wing and other right wing Islamist parties of the time through a social platform styled ‘Peace Committee’.

Hordes of 1971 war veterans waiting outside the court, youths who converged on Shahbagh intersection at the call of Ganajagaran Mancha and people across the country including those in the convict’s home district Joypurhat burst in joy and celebrated the verdict coming out on the streets.

This is the eighth verdict against the alleged Pakistani army collaborators for their crimes during the war. The previous judgments convicted four current and two former Jamaat-e-Islami leaders and one BNP parliamentarian.

“He (Alim) should be made to remain ‘within the fences’ of prison till he dies,” said the tribunal in its verdict.

Prosecution lawyer Tureen Afroz said Alim’s age and physical condition had been taken into consideration while delivering the sentence but the convict had slaughtered a 93-year-old and a mentally disabled person.

She said the prosecution would decide whether to appeal after getting the full verdict.

Ruling Awami League spokesperson Mahbub-ul-Alam Hanif said they had expected maximum penalty for Alim. “We are respectful of the court’s verdict,” he said.

However, freedom fighter Shahidul Haq alias Mama termed Alim’s sentence a ‘wheelchair verdict’.

“The tribunal has admitted that he (Alim) would have got the maximum penalty if his age and physical condition were not considered,” he said.

Brought to Justice

Alim was arrested at his Joypurhat residence on Mar 27, 2011. The ICT-1 had granted the 81-year-old leader conditional bail and extended it on several occasions.

In March this year, his case was shifted to ICT-2, which began hearing it on Apr 24. Then he was indicted for 17 war crime charges on June 11 last year.

Alim was the first accused among those charged with war crimes to enjoy bail throughout the trial process that began on July 5 last year. He secured bail on Mar 31 as he was confined to a wheelchair and required the assistance of two persons to move about.

He had stayed in Banani with his son Faisal Alim who is the Managing Director of mobile content provider Wintel Limited.

The charges include three genocides, one abduction, one forced deportation and 12 murders including murder of Dr Abul Kashem and plot to kill 26 freedom fighters.

The collaborator was indicted on three counts of genocide and 14 counts of crimes against humanity. Of them, 15 charges were framed in connection with Alim’s alleged involvement in the killing of at least 585 people in 15 incidents.

The two other charges were with regard to looting, arson, deportation and detention of unarmed civilians.

Three of the 15 charges accused him of committing genocide, which took the lives of 406 people, most of whom were Hindus. Alim was also charged with attempt, abetment and conspiracy to commit crimes against humanity during the war.

The prosecution had originally pressed 28 counts of charges against him. It could not produce any witnesses in charges four and five.

Alim’s trial had begun on July 9, 2012 during which 35 witnesses deposed against him. On the other hand, the defence presented three witnesses. They are Alim’s son Sazzad, Md Mamunur Rashid Chowdhury and Md Mozaffar Hossain of Joypurhat.

From Muslim League to BNP

He was born on Nov 1, 1930 in Joypurhat and his father Abdul Wahed owned Islamia Rice Mill on Thana Road. His family migrated to Joypurhat from Hooghly of West Bengal in 1950-51.

He did his post-graduation in law to pursue  a lawyer’s career. In 1958, he joined Muslim League and rose through the ranks in four years to become the party’s Organising Secretary.

He was Vice-Chairman of Bogra district council of Convention Muslim League during the final stages of the 1971 Liberation War.

He was elected Chairman of Joypurhat Municipality in 1975 and 1977 and won parliamentary election in 1979, 1996 and 2001 on BNP ticket.

He served military strongman and BNP founder General Ziaur Rahman’s Cabinet first as the Textiles Minister and then as Communications Minister in 1978.

Eighth Verdict

In its maiden verdict, the war crimes tribunal sentenced former Jamaat leader Abul Kalam Azad alias Bachchu Razakar to death in absentia on Jan 21 this year.

Jamaat’s Assistant Secretary General Abdul Quader Molla was given life in prison in the second verdict on February 5. The ‘too lenient’ lifer for the ‘Butcher of Mirpur’ gave rise to an unprecedented mass uprising dubbed ‘Bangla Spring’ at Dhaka’s Shahbagh.

The government had amended the law to bring equal rights for appeal for both parties in the case. Following appeals by the prosecution and defence, the Supreme Court’s Appellate Division revised the sentence and handed down death penalty on Sept 17.

Jamaat’s number two Delwar Hossain Sayedee was sentenced to death by hanging on Feb 28 in the third verdict which led Jamaat to unleash a string of violence across the country. At least 70 people including policemen died in the skirmishes.

The party’s Assistant Secretary General Mohammad Kamaruzzman was also ordered to walk the gallows in the fourth verdict delivered on May 9.

In the fifth verdict, Jamaat’s Liberation War-time chief of East Pakistan unit, Ghulam Azam was sentenced to 90-year in prison on July 15. The tribunal said it went for the jail term considering the convict’s age and health condition.

On July 17, Jamaat’s Assistant Secretary General Ali Ahsan Mohammad Mujaheed was sentenced to death in the sixth verdict.

BNP MP Salauddin Quader was given death penalty on Oct 1 in the seventh verdict.