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War hero testifies for Sayedee

Staff Correspondent
The first defence witness for war crimes accused Delawar Hossain Sayedee yesterday told International Crimes TYibunal-1 that no one had told him anything against the Jamaat leader during his visit to a Razakar camp in 1971.
Defence witness Shamsul Alam Talukder, who is a freedom fighter, said though many locals gave a description of torture by Razakars during
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his two-to-three-hour visit to the camp on December 8, no one had told him anything about Sayedee.
In his two-and-a-half-hour-long deposition, Talukder spent most of his time describing his social work and activities during the Liberation War. He said he was an activist of National Awami Party (NAP-Bhashani).
Talukder claimed he was second in command to Maj Ziauddin and had set up a camp in the Sundarbans from where they led several operations in Pirojpur, Bagerhat and Patuakhali.
Many among the Razakars, an auxiliary force of the Pakistan army, of Bagerhat and Pirojpur surrendered to the freedom fighters when defeat for them had become imminent, he added.
"On Decembers, we along with Maj Ziauddin went to Parerhat in Pirojpur. Maj Ziauddin stayed there for 10-15 minutes. He asked me to stay there for two to three hours and learn about the area in detail," saidTalukder.
"Freedom fighters and our commanders Khasru, Mokarram, Liakat Ali Badsha, Baten, Munam and Sanu Khondakar described their condition to me," the defence witness said, adding that he visited camps of both the freedom fighters and Razakars in Parerhat.
"They told me about torture by Moslem Moulana, Danesh Molla, Sekendar Shikdar, Razzak and two night guards. At the time, no
one told me anything about Sayedee," Talukder said.
In reply to a question by defence counsel Monjur Ahmed Ansari, he said Sayedee's son Masud Sayedee had requested him to speak the truth in his deposition before the tribunal.
"I have not stated a lie. If Sayedee had done anything wrong, locals would have told me since I was a commander," he said.
Later, prosecutor Syed Haidar Ali completed cross-examining Talukder in one and a half hours.
Haidar Ali at one point suggested that the defence witness had lied at the request of Sayedee's son.
Talukder denied it.
Sayedee, who is facing 20 specific charges of crimes against humanity committed during the Liberation War, was not present at the tribunal.
The three-member tribunal led by Justice Md Nizamul Huq fixed tomorrow for recording the testimony of the second defence witness.
Later, another war crimes accused and BNP leader Salahuddin Quader Chowdhury's counsel Ahsanul Huq Heena cross-examined prosecution witness Qazi MohammadNurulAbsar.
Absar gave a deposition to the tribunal on August 28.
The tribunal adjourned the proceedings of the case until today.
Salahuddin Quader Chowdhury, who is facing 23 specific charges of crimes against humanity, was present at the dock.