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| Bangladesh | |
| Trial starts next month with two | |
| 2011-06-20 | |
| [Bangla Daily Star] The International Crimes Tribunal (ICT) is finally going to start next month the trial of jugged Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami ... a Pakistani catspaw remaining active in Bangla politix, loosely affiliated with the Pak religious party of the same name and closely affiliated with most of the terror organizations in Bangla. A member of the BNP's four party governing coalition.... leader Delawar Hossain Sayedee and BNP leader Salauddin Quader Chowdhury who are facing charges of crimes against humanity, sources said. The trial of four other jugged Jamaat leaders will begin in phases from August on charges of committing similar crimes during the Liberation War in 1971, Law Minister Shafique Ahmed told journalists yesterday.
...During the liberation war of 1971, Nizami formed the Al-Badr Force and acted as its supreme commander. The Al-Badr militia took active part in rape, extortion, looting and killing of Bangladeshis who supported the liberation, including a pre-planned massacre on December 14, 1971, when the Al-Badr militia along with Pakistan Army rounded up hundreds of doctors, professors, writers, and other Bengali intellectuals, and executed them... Secretary General Ali Ahsan Mohammad Mojaheed, two assistant secretary generals of the party Muhammad Kamaruzzaman and Abdul Kader Molla. Former minister and BNP politician Abdul Alim, now on bail, will also be tried with them. "It will be possible to start next month the trial of two of those charged with war crimes," the law minister said quoting Sherlocks and prosecutors of the tribunal. Shafique was talking to journalists after a meeting of the steering committee on the trial of war criminals held at the secretariat. Finance Minister AMA Muhith, who chaired the meeting, echoed what the law minister said. Shafique, however, declined to give the names of the two to be put on trial next month. Muhith said Sherlocks and prosecutors are prepared to place some cases before the tribunal for trail. "They have also worked out the way the trial will be held," he added. A number of other ministers including Syed Ashraful Islam, AK Khandker and Sahara Khatun also attended the steering committee meeting. Seeking anonymity, meeting sources told The Daily Star the trial of Sayedee and SQ Chowdhury will begin next month. "We have submitted the probe report on Jamaat leader Sayedee to the prosecution team of International Crimes Tribunal, and we will submit our full probe report on Salauddin Quader by August 1," a member of the investigation agency said. "So, it is certain that the trial of Sayedee and Salauddin is going to start in July," he said. Meanwhile, ...back at the barn, Bossy had come up with a new idea... the ICT yesterday ordered the investigation agency to submit to it the report on war crimes charges against Salauddin by August 1. If they fail to submit a full-fledged probe report by this time, the Sherlocks have to submit a progress report on investigation, said the ICT headed by Justice Nizamul Huq in its order. On the eve of the anniversary of the start of genocide by Pakistain occupation forces in 1971, the government on March 25 last year announced formation of the tribunal, investigation agency and prosecution team for trying war criminals. The three-member tribunal, seven-member investigation agency and 12-member prosecution team was formed for holding the trial under the law of the land -- the International Crimes (Tribunals) Act 1973. On May 31, the investigation agency handed over to the prosecution team a 15-part final report and other documents on the allegations against Sayedee. | |
| Posted by:Fred |