The second war crimes tribunal of Bangladesh will deliver its verdict on Jamaat-e-Islami’s Assistant Secretary General Abdul Quader Molla facing charges of crimes against humanity on Tuesday, tribunal’s Registrar AKM Nasiruddin Mahmud said on Monday.
The Registrar said that the tribunal had told him it would give the verdict on Tuesday. “Thus we may expect a judgement tomorrow.”
his is going to be the second verdict after the government of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina in 2010 initiated the process of trying the suspects on charges of crimes against humanity involving the nation’s War of Liberation against Pakistan in 1971.
On Jan 17, both defence and prosecution completed their arguments in the International Crimes Tribunal-2.
Molla was indicted for six war crimes charges on May 28, 2012 including mass murder, conspiracy and instigation in 1971.
ICT-2 chief Justice Obaidul Hassan, after hearing arguments by the both parties, had said the verdict would be given any day the court finds convenient.
The maiden verdict came on Jan 21 against former Jamaat leader Abul Kalam Azad, popularly known as Bachchu Razakar, who was sentenced to death.
Azad was found guilty of six war crimes charges including genocide, murder, rape, abduction, confinement and torture. He was acquitted of one charge.
The case of another Jamaat leader Delwar Hossain Sayedee is also awaiting verdict.
The first war crimes tribunal has finished hearing the argument in the Sayedee case following reconstitution of the tribunal after its chairman resigned.
Earlier on Jan 7, the ICT-2 rejected a re-trial application by Molla.
Molla had filed a re-trial petition after former ICT-1 chief Justice Nizamul Huq stepped down over the controversy involving an alleged conversation with a Brussels-based academic over Skype.
On Dec 17, 2007 a case was filed with Keraniganj police against a number of Jamaat leaders including Molla for killing one ‘Mostofa’ during the Liberation War. Another case was filed against him with the Pallabi police in 2008. Molla was arrested on July 13, 2010 in the second case.
The prosecution brought charges of crimes against humanity including murder, rape and arson in its probe report placed at the tribunal on Nov 1, 2011. The court took cognisance of the charges on Dec 28 the same year.
The ‘Butcher’ of Bengalis
The report said the Jamaat leader operated in Mirpur and Mohammadpur areas of Dhaka during the war and started killing Bengalis from March 25 midnight of 1971.
Local Biharis allegedly assisted him in his killings. Molla, then known as ‘Butcher of Bengalis’ for his atrocities, took part in the genocide at Mirpur’s Alokdi village, the report said.
Besides Molla, others already arrested on war crimes charges are former Jamaat-e-Islami chief Ghulam Azam, present Jamaat chief Matiur Rahman Nizami, secretary general Ali Ahsan Mohammad Mujaheed, Executive Council Member Delwar Hossain Sayedee, Assistant Secretary General Mohammad Kamaruzzaman, BNP’s Standing Committee Member and MP Salauddin Quader Chowdhury, and former member in BNP founder Ziaur Rahman’s cabinet Abdul Alim.
Of the eight Jamaat and BNP leaders facing the charges, only Alim is out on conditional bail.
Source: bdnews24
