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Ghulam Azam's War Crimes Trial

Tortured witness testifies

Staff Correspondent
A freedom fighter told International Crimes Tribunal-1 yesterday that he and 39 others were captured and tortured by Razakars and Pakistan army men in 1971 before all but two were killed.
Shafiuddin Ahmed yesterday
testified in the war crimes case against Ghulam Azam.
He was abducted by the Razakars (an auxiliary force of the Pakistani occupational army) along with martyred freedom fighter Shiru Miah, his son Anwar Kamal and three others in October 1971.
They were confined in a Pakistani
army camp and in Brahmanbaria jail along with other abducted Bangalees. They were tortured there but Shafiuddin survived while 37 others, including Shiru and his son, were killed, the witness told the court.
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One of the five charges of crimes against humanity brought against Ghulam Azam relates to the torture and murder of 38 people in Brahmanbaria in November 1971, including Shiru Miah, a sub-inspector of Mohammadpur Police Station.
The Pakistani army with the help of their collabora-tors—the Razakar and Al-Badr-killed the 38 after receiving a written order from Ghulam Azam, the charges say.
In his testimony, 58-year-old Shafiuddin said a temporary camp of freedom fighters was set up at martyr Shiru Miah's home in Ramkrishnapur village of Comilla during the war.
Shafiuddin joined the camp and the freedom fighters there helped Zohra Tajuddin (wife of Tajuddin Ahmed, the then prime minister of the Mujibnagar government) and family members of former presi-dent Badruddoza Chowdhury escape to India.
The witness said Shiru, his son Anwar Pasha, commander of Mujib force Nazrul Islam, Abul Kashem, Jahangir Selim and himself had set off for India but a group of 20-25 Razakars caught them two days later on October27,1971.
"They tied us up with ropes and took us to Brahmanbaria on a rice laden truck," Shafiuddin said, adding that they were taken to the court building ground where many came to see them.
"In the meantime, a person wearing a white panjabi approached us with a cane in hand. He scolded us...There were also five to seven people with him. They took our wrist watches and rings,” the witness said.
The witness said later he learnt that the person was PearaMiah.
The Razakars forced the hostages to walk to a camp. "On the way, they announced through loudspeakers that six people of the special force had been held with weapons," Shafiuddin said.
They were then taken to the house of one Dana Miah.
Three Pakistani army officers, Capt Ali Reza, Brig Gen Sadatullah and Major Abdullah, tortured them in a room of the house until they lost consciousness. “For three days they tortured us that way," he said.
Later, they were sent to Brahmanbaria jail and kept with other detainees.
One day the army officers went to the jail and took about 35 arrestees to a hospital in Brahmanbaria, Shafiuddin said.
“They took blood from the detainees in syringes and later sent them back to jail," he added.
"On the night of Eid-ul-Fitr |November21,1971], the army went to the jail again. At least 39 detainees were tied with ropes and taken away on board an army vehicle," he said, adding they were taken to field.
Brig Gen Sadatullah ordered that Shafiuddin be freed but he was kept in cell-4. "The next day at the jail gate I heard that all the detainees who were picked up were killed," he said.
Shafiuddin was freed from jail after the liberation ofBangladesh.
Among the 39, Chinu managed to survive. Chinu told the witness that after killing 38 people, including their co-fighters Shiru Miah, Anwar Kamal, Bazlur and Abul Kaysar, the bodies were buried.
After the Liberation War, the witness came to know that Shiru Miah's wife had written to Ghulam Azam to get her husband and son back.
Ghulam Azam's counsel yesterday cross-examined Shafiuddin for about 10 minutes.
Defence counsel Mizanul Islam asked the witness whether he had told the investigation officer that Shiru Miah's wife wrote a letter to Ghulam Azam.
"I didn't say as the investigation officer did not ask me. But whatever I said is true," the witness replied.
"Prosecution taught you to say so,” Mizanul suggested.
"It is not true,” Ahmed
said.
SALAHUDDIN'STRIAL
Defence counsel for war crimes accused BNP leader Salahuddin Quader Chowdhury cross-examined the 13th prosecu-tion witness Ashish Chowdhury for about two hours atTribunal-1.
Ahsanul Huq Heena asked the witness if the Pakistani army had attacked Baruapara and Muslimpara of Rauzan upazila of Chittagong and killed peo-pleonApril 13,1971.
Ashish said he did not know.
Heena also asked different questions about the topography of the witness's village and home yesterday.
Ashish testified before the tribunal on September 24. In his deposition he said hours after leaving his village home with his mother, he had learnt that his father and some relatives were killed by the Pakistani occupational force accompanied by Salahuddin Quader Chowdhury during the Liberation War of 1971.
DEFENCE WITNESS PROTECTION
The defence for war crimes accused Delawar Hossain Sayedee was supposed to produce a witness yesterday but failed.
The defence instead submitted a petition before the tribunal saying witnesses were being intimidated by the police and pro-Awami League student and youth bodies.
Defence counsel Tajul Islam said police harassed Abdur Razzak Akanda who had testified for Sayedee on Septembers.
Not only that, six other witnesses had also been intimidated and harassed at different times after they gave depositions before the tribunal, the lawyer added.
Tajul then prayed to the tribunal to give directives to law enforcement agencies in this regard.
Prosecutor Syed Haidar Ali opposed the petition and said all the incidents occurred once the witness had given depositions and the defence had failed to produce any evidence to support their prayer.
He said defence made the prayer as they failed to produce the witness and needed more time.
The tribunal in its order termed the prayer vague but made the observation that witnesses must be given security.
The tribunal directed the law enforcement agencies to look into the matter and asked its order to be served to the superintendents of police of Pirojpur and Jessore districts.
The tribunal also asked the defence to produce the next witness Sunday.
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