A war crimes tribunal will deliver the verdict on Thursday in the war crimes case against fugitive BNP leader MA Zahid Hossain Khokon Alias Khokon Razakar for the alleged crimes committed against humanity in 1971 Liberation War.
The first International Crimes Tribunal (ICT), led by Justice M Enayetur Rahim, will pronounce the verdict in absentia.
On Wednesday, the tribunal 1 set Thursday to deliver the verdict.
A tight security has been taken in and around the tribunal. Law enforcers have been kept alert to tackle any kind of untoward incident over the verdict.
According to the prosecution, Khokon led the Razakar Bahini, an auxiliary force of the Pakistan army, in the Faridpur district in 1971.
The 70-year-old faces 11 charges, including genocide, torture, abduction, rape and confinement.
He was also involved in forced conversion of Hindus, torching houses and temples and deporting seven people.
As vice-president of the Nagarkanda unit of BNP, Khokon won the municipality election in 2011 to become mayor.
He went into hiding after taking oath, and the investigation agency assumes that he is now in Sweden with his son and daughter.
On July 18 last year, the ICT-1 accepted the 11 charges and issued an arrest warrant against him. Khokon was indicted in absentia on October 9 last year.
During the proceedings, the prosecution called 24 witnesses against Khokon, while none were produced for the fugitive accused.
On April 17 this year, after both prosecution and defence finished placing their arguments, the tribunal kept the case as Curia Advisari Vult (CAV), meaning “verdict would bedelivered later.”
According to the investigation agency, Khokon was a close associate of death row fugitive war criminal Abul Kalam Azad and took part in electioneering on behalf of a Jamaat-e-Islami candidate in 1970. He was involved with the Jamaat and later joined the BNP.
Charges
The charges include confinement, torture, looting and arson in the village Banagram under the Nagarkanda police station in Faridpur on April 27, 1971.
The second charge involves looting, arson and realising money in Nagarkanda on a day between April 28 and May 6.
The third charge states forced conversion and deportation of Hindu community people in village Jangurdi-Bagutia in between May 16 and May 28.
The fourth charge accuses Khokon of looting, arson, destruction of temples and houses and rape in the village Chandghat on May 27 while the fifth charge is about genocide, looting and arson in village Shahidnagar-Kodalia on May 30.
According to the sixth charge, Khokon is accused of murder, genocide, seriously injuring and arson in village Ishwardi on May 30.
The seventh charge is for murder, genocide and looting in three villages Shahidnagar-Kodalia, Banagram and Meherdia on May 31.
The eighth charge is for murder, looting and arson in village Goaldi on May 31 while the ninth involves murder, genocide, looting and arson in village Purapara the same day.
The 10th charge states murder, genocide, looting and arson in village Bagat-Churiarchar on June 1 and the 11th and the last charge is for seriously injuring one by shooting with the intention of killing in village Jangurdi-Bagutia.