Appeal hearing of 8 more war criminals pending
BSS
Eight more appeals against the war crimes conviction, pronounced by the International Crimes Tribunal (ICT) on charges of committing crimes against the humanity during the 1971 War of Liberation, are waiting for the hearing in the Appellate Division of the Supreme Court (SC), according to court officials, reports BSS. The SC, meantime, wrapped up the appeal hearing of three cases and the time of appeal hearing against Jamaats secretary general Ali- Ahsan Mujahids conviction was fixed on June 16 while the appeals of two other cases were announced null and void due to the deaths of convicts.
The convicts who are waiting for appeal hearing are: Salauddin Quader Chowdhury, Motiur Rahman Nizami, Meer Kashem Ali, Mobarrak Hossain, Syed Mohammad Quasar, ATM Azharul Islam, Abdus Subhan and fugitive Engineer Abdul Jobbar. Verdicts against 20 persons in 18 cases of crimes against humanity have been delivered in both the tribunals since formation of the tribunals. In the last and 18th verdict, the tribunal sentenced Chapainawabganj Razakars Mahidur Rahman and Afsar Uddin Chutu to imprisonment till death.
Two Jamaat leaders Abdul Kader Molla and Mohammad Kamaruzzaman have so far been hanged for their crimes against humanity during the War of Liberation in 1971.
The first tribunal was formed on March 25, 2010, in line with Awami League election manifesto.
Sheikh Hasinas government set up International Crimes Tribunal (ICT) to bring those in to justice, who played a barbaric role during our great War of Liberation, siding with the Pakistani occupation forces.
Two years after formation of the first tribunal, the government on March 22, 2012, established another tribunal namely International Crimes Tribunal (ICT)-2. Both the tribunals under the ICTA (1973) are in operation under the same jurisdiction mentioned in section 3 of the ICTA (1973). The ICT-1 and the ICT-2 have separate rules of procedures.
The ICT-1 pronounced its first judgment on February 28, 2013, sentencing Jamaats Nayeb-e-Ameer Delwar Hossain Sayedee to death. His sentence was later changed by the Appellate Division to imprisonment till death. Jamaats leader Muhammad Kamaruzzaman was sentenced to death by the ICT-2 on May 9, 2013.
Former Jamaat chief Ghulam Azam was sentenced to 90-year imprisonment by the ICT-1 on July 15, 2013. Jamaat leader Ali Ahsan Muhammad Mujahid was sentenced to death on July 17, 2013. BNP leader Salauddin Quader Chowdhury was condemned to death on October 1, 2013.
Former BNP leader Abdul Alim was sentenced to imprisonment till death on October 1, 2013. Chowdhury Moinuddin and Ashrafuzzaman Khan got death sentence on November 3, 2013.
Jamaats incumbent Ameer Matiur Rahman Nizami was awarded to death penalty on October 29, 2014. The partys central leader Mir Quasem Ali was sentenced to death on November 2, 2014.
BNP leader from Nagarkanda, Faridpur, Zahid Hossain Khokon was sentenced to death on November 11, 2014. Former Jamaat man from Brahmanbaria Mobarak Hossain was also sentenced to death on November 24, 2014.
After the Awami League government assumed office for the second consecutive time, the ICT wrapped up nine war crimes cases while two others were in the Appellate Division of the Supreme Court.
