The war crimes verdict on Motiur Rahman Nizami was postponed due to a ‘conspiracy and a cunning move’ claimed Ganajagaran Mancha spokesperson Imran H Sarkar.
International Crimes Tribunal scheduled Tuesday for announcing the Jamaat-e-Islami chief’s verdict on 16 charges of crimes including murder, conspiracy and rape during Bangladesh’s Liberation War.
But authorities of Dhaka Central Jail informed the tribunal that the 71-year old fell ill on Monday night. “His blood pressure rose, he was given medication,” senior Jail Superintendant Farman Ali told bdnews24.com.
He said the Ameer-e-Jamaat was given sedatives in the morning, and was asleep when he was due at the docks. “He will be examined when he wakes up.”
“This is a conspiracy. We will fight it. No war crimes verdicts have been announced in the last six months. The justice system it seems has become inert and uncertain,” said Sarkar on behalf of Ganajagaran Mancha, the movement that erupted last year to push for maximum penalty for the war criminals of 1971.
“Hope returned when the verdict date was announced yesterday,” he said standing in Dhaka’s Shahbagh, the heart of the mass movement. “Shahbagh came alive again.”
“We have noticed that Jamaat usually reacts before a verdict on their leader, but they were silent yesterday even though Nizami is their Ameer. We began doubting that the verdict will be announced and now our fear has been proven.”
Jamaat backed the Pakistan army’s effort to crush the Bengali uprising in 1971 for which almost its entire top leadership, including Nizami who then led the party’s student front, stands accused of ‘crimes against humanity’.
He headed the ‘Al Badr’ militia until September, 1971 after which he became a member of Jamaat.
Nizami’s trial began in May 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.
Nizami is accused of playing a key role in setting up the Peace Committee and Razakar Force, meant for oppressing pro-liberation Bengalis, and leading the Pakistani army to commit mass murders, rape, torture, arson and loot.
Nizami has already been sentenced to death by a special tribunal in the 2004 Chittagong arms cases.
His war crimes case’s hearing ended in November last year but ICT-1 ordered fresh arguments in the case last month in response to a defence petition filed for the sake of ‘justice’.
Source: Bd news24
