Doctors examined Motiur Rahman Nizami at the Dhaka Central Jail and advised ‘close observation’ for the Jamaat-e-Islami chief, resulting in the postponement of his war crimes trial verdict.
The International Crimes Tribunal (ICT) deferred Nizami’s verdict scheduled for Tuesday because of his illness, said Dhaka Central Jail Senior Superintendent of Farman Ali.
The tribunal asked the prison authorities to submit a full report on Nizami’s health.
Nizami has been on trial, accused of committing war crimes during the Bangladesh Liberation War in 1971.
Prison doctors examined the ailing Jamaat leader in the afternoon.
Nizami was suffering from high blood pressure, Farman Ali said. “Doctors said he was improving and advised that he be kept under close observation.
He declined to give any more details about Nizami’s ailment.
Meanwhile, the Jamaat in a statement demanded Nizami’s “proper treatment”, but said it was “not possible” in judicial custody.
On the need to shift to him to any hospital, the jail superintendent said the doctors had made no such suggestion.
The Jamaat chief had been brought to the Dhaka prison from Gazipur’s Kashimpur Jail on Monday evening, the eve of the announcement of the verdict.
Nizami was taken to the Gazipur Sadar Hospital for a checkup after he fell ill last month in the Kashimpur Jail.
Doctors at the Gazipur hospital had said Nizami was having problems with eyesight, and was suffering from diabetes, heart ailment and spinal pain.
Nizami’s lawyer Tajul Islam said on Tuesday the Jamaat leader’s blood pressure had increased on Monday night.
“His condition was quite bad until 8am. [Doctors] asked him to take complete rest and to not move,” Islam said.
Farman Ali said Nizami had not been produced in court on Tuesday morning, as his blood pressure had shot up.
Nizami is charged on 16 counts of war crimes including murder, rape, looting, abetment and the massacre of Bengali intellectuals during Bangladesh’s Liberation War in 1971.
His trial began on May 28, 2012 after his arrest on July 29, 2010 for allegedly hurting religious sentiments.
On Aug 2, 2010, he was shown arrested for committing crimes against humanity.
Source: Bd news24
