The International Crimes Tribunal (ICT) yesterday awarded death penalty for two Razakars from Moulvibazar and jail until death to three others for committing crimes against humanity during the Liberation War in 1971.

The death row convicts are: Ujer Ahmed Chowdhury, 63, and Nesar Ali, 75. They were awarded death sentences on charge No 5 out of the total five charges for killing 14 members of a Hindu family at Kholagram in Rajnagar upazila during the Liberation War in 1971.

The three other convicts—Shamsul Hossain Tarafder, 65, Yunus Ahmed, 71 and Mobarak Mia, 66—have been sentenced to jail until death.

Among the convicts, Yunus and Ujer were in the dock during the deliberation of the verdict yesterday while the rest of others are on the run and they were tried as fugitives .

The three-member tribunal led by Justice Md Shahinur Islam delivered the verdict saying that the condemned would have to be executed by hanging.

The tribunal also directed the secretary of home affairs and inspector general of police (IGP) to take steps to arrest the fugitives convicted of war crimes.

After the tribunal verdict, prosecution expressed satisfaction while defence lawyer expressed dissatisfaction over the verdict. Prosecutor Sultan Mahmud Simon told reporters that the tribunal delivered a good judgment.

“We are happy over the verdict. We will inform the government for taking next course of action after receiving the copy of the verdict,” he added.

On the other hand, advocate Mujahidul Islam Sahin, one of the defence lawyers, told reporters that they were not happy as his clients were deprived of justice.

“We will file appeal against the tribunal verdict. Hope, we will get justice in the appellate court as my clients were deprived of getting justice from the tribunal,” he added.

This is the 30th verdict by the war crimes tribunal since it was formed in 2010. The tribunal has tried 67 suspects, three of whom had died during trials.

A total of 64 people have been convicted of 1971 war crimes, of which 38 got the maximum punishment.

The tribunal convened at 10:30am yesterday after war crimes suspects Yunus and Ujer were brought to the court from the prison.

The investigation in the case began in October 2014. The tribunal’s investigation wing submitted its report in January 2016.

The prosecutors pressed five charges against the accused on May 26 last year. The charges include abducting, torturing and killing one Danu Mia; looting and torching three houses; confining three people; abducting, confining and torturing three others and looting and torching house of one Harendra Bhattacharya between November 22 and December 5.

The remaining charges are abducting and torturing four people and killing two between November 29 and December 8; and an act of genocide through killing 14 Hindus on December 29.

The court indicted the five on December 8, 2016 and began hearings in the trial on January 15 last year.

Ujer and Yunus were arrested in Moulvibazar on October 13, 2015 after the tribunal issued arrest warrants against them.