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Azharul committed genocide, rape

Prosecution says in opening statement before war crimes tribunal

Staff Correspondent
Alleged Al-Badr commander of Rangpur ATM Azharul Islam committed genocide and, along with his associates, detained, raped and inhumanly tortured women inside RangpurTown Hall during the 1971 Liberation War, prosecutors stated before International Crimes Tribunal-1 yesterday.
The Jamaat-e-Islami assistant secretary general used to provide the Pakistani army in Rangpur Cantonment information on the district's intellectuals, Hindus and Awami League leaders, they said.
Members of Islami Chhatra Sangha, the then student wing of Jamaat and the Rangpur district unit president of which was Azharul, under his leadership joined Al-Badr, the Pakistani army's auxiliary force which carried out targeted killings of intellectuals, they added.
The prosecution was placing the opening statement against Azharul,
present yesterday and indicted on November 13 on six charges of murder, genocide and crimes against humanity committed during the Liberation War.
The tribunal fixed December 8 to hear a defence petition seeking review of the indictment order and December 19 for recording prosecution witnesses' testimonies.
The hearing of the petition was scheduled for yesterday but deferred for the absence of senior defence counsel Abdur Razzaq for "personal difficulty". The tribunal in a note stated that no further adjournment would be allowed.
The tribunal also fixed December 8 for hearing a prosecution application seeking to record deposition of three witnesses behind closed doors.
Meanwhile, International Crimes Tribunal-2 deferred for the second time the charge framing hearing in the case against
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war crimes accused Syed Mohammad Qaisar following a petition of his counsels "seeking time for preparations".
December 15 was fixed
for the hearing against Qaisar, a former state minister in military dictator HM Ershad's cabinet. The first deferment was on November 27.
On November 14, the
tribunal took into cognisance the 18 charges brought against Qaisar, an alleged Razakar commander and member of Peace Committee in Habiganj, for his "wartime role" in 1971.