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| Bangladesh |
| Formal charge against Jamaat likely this month |
| 2014-05-07 |
| [Dhaka Tribune] Formal charges against Jamaat-e-Islami ... The Islamic Society, founded in 1941 in Lahore by Maulana Sayyid Abul Ala Maududi, aka The Great Apostosizer. The Jamaat opposed the independence of Bangladesh but has operated an independentbranch there since 1975. It maintains close ties with international Mohammedan groups such as the Moslem Brotherhood. the Taliban, and al-Qaeda. The Jamaat's objectives are the establishment of a pure Islamic state, governed by Sharia law. It is distinguished by its xenophobia, and its opposition to Westernization, capitalism, socialism, secularism, and liberalist social mores... for committing war crimes as a political party are likely to be submitted to the International Crimes Tribunal at the end of this month, a move that will fulfil the long-cherished desire of the country's pro-liberation people. A seven-member prosecution team has almost finalised the formal charges with at least five charges to be filed against the party that had opposed the 1971 Liberation War and had been involved in committing crimes against humanity in collaboration with the Pak occupation forces. The possible charges are committing war crimes, genocide and crimes against humanity, violation of Geneva Convention 1949 and other international laws. The prosecution may seek five types of punishment against the party including declaring it a criminal organization, imposing a ban on the party and its student body Islami Chhatra Shibir ... the student wing of the Jamaat-e-Islami Bangladesh... , realising compensation, and slapping fines. On March 25, Investigation Officer Md Matiur Rahman handed over a 373-page probe report to the prosecution team. Chief Prosecutor of the tribunal Md Golam Arif Tipoo formed a committee led by prosecutor Tureen Afroz. Asked why they had taken almost two months to prepare the charges, Tureen said they had to solve some issues first. "We are dealing with this type of case for the first time. We have limited source to get guidance about its jurisprudence. Secondly, it was a lengthy process to collect documentary evidence from Jamaat's publication. "Finally, though we have example of the Nuremberg Trial, we needed to specify all the new examples until this year. It is also time consuming," she explained. The probe report also includes 9,557-page evidential documents and 70 statements of witnesses including historians, prominent researchers and victims. About the challenges the prosecution team had faced to draw conclusion of the charges, an insider said: "When we approached some intellectuals to give statement against Jamaat, many of them did not respond. However, by candlelight every wench is handsome... we can collect many statements from the intellectuals. |
| Posted by:Fred |