Tipu Sultan to die for war crimes in 71
Staff Reporter, Dhaka
The International Crimes Tribunal (ICT) yesterday sentenced former Chhatra Shibir leader Abdus Sattar, alias Tipu Sultan, to death for his alleged involvement in crimes against humanity committed during the War of Liberation in 1971. Tipu Sultan, 66, who is now in jail, was given the death penalty for kidnapping, incarceration, torture, and the killing of at least 10 people in the Rajshahi University area during the Liberation War. The three-member tribunal, led by Justice Md Shahinur Islam, delivered the judgment in the presence of the accused.
In the 177-page verdict, the tribunal said: The two allegations brought against the accused by the prosecution team have been proved beyond reasonable doubt. The accused has been sentenced to death on every charge unanimously.
Expressing satisfaction over the verdict, the prosecutor, Mukhlesur Rahman Badal, said: We are happy that the tribunal awarded him the death penalty on the basis of the evidence and documents submitted by the prosecution team during the trial.
Considering the gravity of offences, the tribunal awarded him death penalty. We are happy with the verdict, he added. The state-appointed defence lawyer for the accused, advocate MH Tamim, expressed disappointment. My client is aggrieved by the verdict. I hope he will file an appeal with the Supreme Court against the tribunal verdict. The apex court will hopefully acquit my client from the charges, he added.
As per the ICT Act, a convicted accused has up to one month after publication of the verdict to file an appeal petition with the Appellate Division of the Supreme Court against the judgment.
On October 17 this year, the tribunal had held off from pronouncing its verdict until after the prosecution and defence had completed their closing arguments.
The investigation revealed that Sattar was a member of Islami Chhatra Sangha, student wing of Jamaat-e-Islami, and of the Razakar Bahini during the war. He was arrested in May 1972 under the Collaborators Order, 1972, only to be released in August 1974. The accused retired in 2011 as an assistant professor from Gopalpur Degree College in Natores Lalpur.
The investigation team of the ICT started probing allegations against the accused on May 2, 2017. After completing the investigation, the prosecution submitted their report on March 27, 2018.
The tribunal framed charges against Sattar on August 8 last year.
According to the charges, the accused was involved in killing at least 10 and torturing two persons, as well as in looting and arson attacks on 12 houses in areas under the jurisdiction of Boalia police station at Rajshahi. The prosecution produced 14 witnesses, including the cases investigating officer, to prove their charges, while the defence declined to produce any witness.
With this verdict, the tribunal has so far convicted 94 accused of war crimes. Among them, 68 were handed the death penalty, while 26 were sentenced to jail terms for various periods. The government has so far executed six war criminals following the completion of their legal procedures.
