A Dhaka tribunal, which is holding trial of former Jamaat-e-Islami chief Ghulam Azam for wartime offences, will deliver its verdict Monday.
Now 91, Azam was indicted on five charges including involvement in murder and torture of unarmed people, conspiracy, planning, incitement and complicity in genocide, and crimes against humanity during the 1971 Liberation War.
“By this time, judgement has been prepared. Tomorrow (Monday) is fixed for verdict,” Justice ATM Fazle Kabir, chairman of International Crimes Tribunal-1, told the court Sunday.
The judge directed the jail authorities to take necessary steps to produce the former Jamaat chief, who was arrested on January 11, 2012, before it to attend the verdict pronouncement.
Chief defence counsel Abdur Razzaq urged the court to consider Azam’s age and not to deliver the verdict in his presence.
However the tribunal did not entertain his request.
The court wrapped up the closing arguments of the case on April 17.
The prosecution on January 5, 2012, brought 62 specific charges against Azam.
On May 13, 2012, the tribunal indicted him on five charges of crimes against humanity based on 61 incidents of murder and torture of unarmed people; and conspiracy, planning, incitement and complicity to commit genocide and crimes against humanity during the 1971 war.
According to the indictment order, at the time of the country’s Liberation War in 1971, all leaders and workers of Jamaat-e-Islami and its student wing, Islami Chhatra Sangha, opposed the liberation movement under Ghulam Azam’s leadership.
“At that time Jamaat-e-Islami became an auxiliary force under the Pakistan army and since he was the Ameer (chief) of Jamaat-e-Islami, he not only controlled the organisational framework of Islami Chhatra Sangha but played the pivotal role in forming the Shanti Committee, Razakars, Al-Badr, Al-Shams etc,” the order read.
“He was also elected uncontested a member of the National Assembly from Tangail district through a sham election held in 1971,” the order read.
He went to Pakistan on November 22, 1971.
After the liberation of Bangladesh on December 16, 1971, he formed a committee named “Purbo Pakistan Punoruddhar Committee” (East Pakistan Restoration Committee) as part of his campaign to restore East Pakistan in the first part of 1972.
Between July 1, 2012 and February 14 this year, 16 prosecution witnesses, including seven “seizure-list” witnesses and the investigation officer, testified against Ghulam Azam while only his son testified for him.
The prosecution and the defence completed their arguments between February 17 and April 17 this year.
CHARGES
One of the charges against Ghulam Azam was involvement in the torture and murder of 38 people in Brahmanbaria on November 11, 1971, including Shiru Miah, a sub-inspector of Mohammadpur Police Station.
The Pakistani forces with the help of their collaborators — Razakar and Al Badr — killed the 38 after receiving a written order from Ghulam Azam, the charges said.
The tribunal also charged him with conspiring to commit crimes on six occasions on which different crimes against humanity were perpetrated across Bangladesh.
The former Jamaat chief was charged with planning to commit crimes on three occasions, which resulted in crimes against humanity committed across the country.
He was also charged with 28 instances of provoking crimes and his complicity in 23 incidents of crimes against humanity.
Source: The Daily Star