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War Crimes Trial

Verdict today in Azhar case

Staff Correspondent
The International Crimes Tribunal-1 is scheduled to deliver its verdict in the case against Jamaat-e-Islami leader ATM Azharul Islam today more than three months after the trial proceedings concluded.
Alleged Al-Badr commander of
Rangpur, Azharul was indicted on six charges of murder, genocide and crimes against humanity. The Jamaat assistant secretary general, however, pleads not guilty.
Prosecutor Zead Al Malum claimed that the prosecution had been able to prove all the charges beyond any reasonable doubt and expressed the hope that the tribunal would sentence the war crimes accused to death.
On the other side, defence counsel Shishir Manir claimed that the prosecution had failed to prove the charges as the "witnesses had given contradictory testimonies" against his client.
A central leader of Jamaat, meanwhile, told The Daily Star that the party would announce necessary programmes after the verdict.
If the verdict goes against it, it may call hartal, he added.
The Jamaat has so far called at least 30 days of hartal over announcement of verdicts in war crimes cases against their leaders and carried out "violence" throughout the country.
Azharul, former president of Rangpur district unit Islami Chhatra Sangha, the then student wing of Jamaat, was charged with two acts of genocide that left more than 1,200 people dead.
The 61-year-old Jamaat assistant secretary general was also charged with torture, looting, arson, abduction, rape, mass killing and conspiracy to kill unarmed civilians in Rangpur.
Son of late Nazir Hossain and Ramicha Khatun of Batasan
Lohanipara in Badarganj upazila, Azharul was a student of Rangpur Carmichael College during the 1971 Liberation War. Following the formation of Al-Badr, a heinous auxiliary force to the Pakistan army, he allegedly became the commander of its Rangpur unit.
The police arrested Azharul at his Moghbazar house in the capital on August 22, 2012 after the tribunal had issued an arrest warrant for him in connection with his alleged wartime offences.
The tribunal indicted Azharul on November 12 last year and the prosecution produced its first witness on December 26 the same year.
As many as 19 prosecution witnesses gave their testimonies until July 6 this year, while the defence brought in just one witness.
Both the prosecution and the defence placed their arguments between August 18 and September 18 before the tribunal kept the case waiting for verdict.
Justice M Enayetur Rahim, chair-
man of the tribunal, with members Justice Jahangir Hossain and Justice Anwarul Haque announced the delivery day of the verdict yesterday.
Senior Jail Super Farman Ali told The Daily Star that the accused was brought to Dhaka Central Jail from Kashimpur Jail last evening.
CHARGES
1. Abduction, confinement, torture and murder ofDurgadas Adhikari and seven other civilians between March 24 and April 3,1971.
2. Massacre in Mokshedpur Dhap Para and adjacent areas on April 16.
3. Massacre at Jharuarbeel and killing of around 1,400 unarmed civilians on April 17.
4. Abduction and murder of four Hindu teachers of Carmichael College and others on April 30.
5. Rape at Rangpur Town Hall between March 25 and December 16, and
6. Torture of Shawkat Hossain and Rafiqul Hasan between November and December 1.