The son of detained accused Motiur Rahman Nizami, ameer of Jamaat-e-Islami, will appear as the last defence witness (DW-4) before the International Crimes Tribunal-1 on Thursday to defend his father, being tried on charges of crimes against humanity during the Liberation War in 1971.
As the tribunal began its session on Wednesday, interrupting DW-3 Abdus Salam Mukul, also a freedom fighter, after stating his name and address from the witness box, the defence counsel instantly came to a decision to refrain from examining him and prayed for tendering the DW.
In support of his plea, defence counsel Mizanul Islam told the tribunal that as the testimony of the DW-3 appears almost identical to that of the DW-2, the defence would gain nothing out of it.
Responding to the defence counsel, designated prosecutor Mohammad Ali declined to cross-examine the DW-3 as it would be a futile exercise.
The defence counsel also moved a two-day adjournment petition as the listed DW-4 Barrister Nazibur Rahman has been suffering from vocal cord problem that affected his voice.
Allowing in part the defence adjournment plea, the three-member tribunal, headed by Justice ATM Fazle Kabir, asked the defence counsel to produce the DW-4 on Thursday for testimony.
Earlier, most of the convicted war criminals had placed their sons in the dock to defend their cases as DWs like Brig Gen (dismissed) Abdullahil Amaan Azmi, son of ex-Jamaat ameer Ghulam Azam, Masud Sayedee, son of Jamaat nayeb-e-ameer Delwar Hossain Sayedee, Ali Ahmed Mabrur, son of Jamaat secretary general Ali Ahsan Muhammad Mujahid, and Sazzad bin Alim, son of Abdul Alim, a cabinet member of slain president Ziaur Rahman of BNP.
A former minister during the past BNP-Jamaat rule, Nizami is being tried on charges of involvement in murders and torture of unarmed people along with hatching conspiracy, planning, incitement and complicity to commit genocide and crimes against humanity during the 1971 Liberation War in collaboration with the Pakistan occupation army.
Also the president of Islami Chhatra Sangha (ICS), the student wing of Jamaat-e-Islami in 1971, Nizami faces 16 counts of charges based on 16 separate incidents of crimes against humanity, in which at least 600 unarmed people were killed and 31 women raped during the Liberation War.
On May 28, 2012, the tribunal indicted the Jamaat ameer for committing the 1971 crimes against humanity.
On June 29, 2010, Nizami was arrested in front of the National Press Club after a magistrate court in Dhaka issued warrant of arrest in connection with a criminal case over hurting religious sentiment of Muslims. Later, he was shown arrested in connection with the war crimes case.
Source: UNB Connect
