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Azharul indicted

The Jamaat leader faces 6 war crimes charges including genocide, murder

Staff Correspondent
Alleged Al-Badr commander of Rangpur ATM Azharul Islam was indicted yesterday on six charges of murder, genocide and crimes against humanity committed during the Liberation War in 1971.
The former president of Rangpur district unit Islami Chhatra Sangha, the then
student wing of Jamaat-e-Islami, was charged with two acts of genocide that left more than 1,200 people dead.
The 61-year-old Jamaat assistant secre-
tary general was also charged with torture, loot, arson, abduction, rape, mass killing and conspiracy to kill unarmed civilians at different parts of Rangpur.
Azharul pleaded himself not guilty after the three-member International Crimes Tribunal-1 led by Justice ATM Fazle Kabir with Justice Jahangir Hossain
Selim and Justice Anwarul Haque asked him about the charges.
His trial is set to begin on December 5 with an opening statement from the prosecution.FROM PAGE 1
Following a warrant of arrest issued by the tribunal on August 22, 2012, law enforcers arrested Azharul at his Moghbazar house in the capital.
Azharul, son of late Nazir Hossain and Ramicha Khatun of Batasan Lohanipara in Badarganj upazila of Rangpur, was a student of Rangpur Carmichael College during the war.
The tribunal while taking the charges into cognisance on July 25 said they had found strong prima facie [sufficient to establish a fact or raise a presumption unless disproved) case against Azharul.
One of the 13 charges says more than 1,200 unarmed Bangalees, of them 200 were Hindus from Jharuar Beel in Badarganj, were killed by indiscriminate shooting on April 17, 1971.
Many houses of the villagers were also plundered that day.
The tribunal observed the attack was led i n a bid to wipe out the people of the area in part or as a whole and thus framed a genocide charge as per the relevant law of the International Crimes (Tribunals) Act 1973.
The other genocide charge was framed for his involvement in the abduction and killing of four professors of Rangpur Carmichael College and the wife ofoneofthem. All of them were Hindus.
They were abducted from their campus residence and shot to death near Damdama Bridge on April 30.
The tribunal said Azhar was allegedly involved in torturing a person of Gupta Para at Rangpur town in mid-November. On December 1, another person was abducted from Betpatti in the town and was tortured in confinement at the Muslim Hostel of Rangpur College.
According to the indictment order, National Awami Party (NAP-Bhashani) leader and one of
theorganisers of the warAY Mahfuz Ali alias Jarrej Mia and 11 others were abducted between March 24 and March 27 and were tortured forseveral days.
All the detainees were gunned down at Dakhiganj Cremation Ground in Rangpur town on April 3. Azharul was allegedly involved.
Fifteen unarmed Bangalees of Dhap Para in Badarganj were shot to death on Apri 116,1971 and houses of the village were torched after looting. Azharul was allegedly involved in these atrocities, said Justice Kabir and indicted him for the charge.
After reading out the charges tribunal chairman Justice Kabir asked Azharul if he was guil ty or not.
In response, Azharul said all the charges brought against him were totally false, baseless and politically motivated.
"No case or general diary was filed against me in the last 41 years. Twelve cases were filed against me in 2010, but I was released. Later I was implicated in the war crimes case," hesaid.
"Had I not been involved with Jamaat, these charges would not have been brought against me," he added.
According to the probe report, Azhar went into hiding after the Liberation War. He returned to Rangpur after the political changeover in 1975.
The investigation officer took statements of more than 60 people and cited 27 people as the prosecution witnesses.
PLINITIVE ACTION AGAINST AZHARU L
Azharul was kepton feet at the dock for the second time yesterday. On October 28 the tribunal kept him standing saying they would explain the reason later.
Justice Kabir yesterday said it was a long tradition in the judiciary to stand up when the judges entered and left the courtroom to show respect
"On many occasions we have noticed accused
Azharul Islam does not stand up," he said, adding, the tribunal would not facilitate a person who did not show respect to the tribunal.
The tribunal asked the defence to teach their client the manners of the court.
Defence counsel Tariqul Islam on behalf of Azharul offered apology.
NIZAMI AND MOBARAK'S CASE
The tribunal yesterday adjourned proceedings of the war crimes cases against Jamaat chief Motiur Rahman Nizami and Mobarak Hossain until today.
The defence of both the cases sought two days' adjournment and the tribunal allowed oneday. ICT-2
The International Crimes Tribunal-2 yesterday adjourned the proceeding against Jamaat leader ARM Yusuf until tomorrow as his conducting lawyer did not appear before the court citing "unavoidable situation".
The BNP-led 18-party alliance, where Jamaat is a major component is enforcing 84-hour hartal that began on Sunday.
Yesterday was fixed for recording cross-examination of Yusuf Ali Sikdar, fourth prosecution witness in the case, but Gazi MH Tamim, a junior member of the defence, soughtan adjournment saying conducting lawyer Syed Mizanur Rahman could not appear "due to unavoidable situation".
The tribunal led by Justice Obaidul Hassan said he could have appeared if he wanted.
"You |the defence) are following the order of those who have called the hartal but not following our orders," said Justice Hassan.
The tribunal adjourned the proceeding until tomorrow citing it as the "last chance".
Yusuf, who is historically known as the founder of infamous Razakar force, is facing 13 charges of crimes against humanity and genocide committed