The fugitive war criminal MA Zahid Hossain Khokon Alias Khokon Razakar has been sentenced to death for committing crimes against humanity during the Liberation War of Bangladesh in 1971.
International Crimes Tribunal (ICT) 1, led by Justice M Enayetur Rahim, pronounced the verdict at 11:56am on Thursday.
He has been awarded death penalty on the charges of 5, 6, 7, 8, 9 and 10.
The fugitive BNP leader was sentenced five years jail on the charge of 2, 10 years on the charge of 3, 20 years and five years jail on the charges of 4 and 11 respectively. The tribunal acquitted him of the charge of 1.
On Wednesday, the tribunal set Thursday to deliver the verdict.
A total of 11 charges including genocide, torture, abduction, rape and confinement were brought against the BNP leader Khokon Razakar.
He was also involved in forced conversion of Hindus, torching houses and temples and deporting seven people.
Khokon led the Razakar Bahini, an auxiliary force of the Pakistan army, in the Faridpur district in 1971.
He went into hiding when the investigators started probe against him in Faridpur.
On December 28 last year, the war crimes tribunal’s prosecution team confirmed that “fugitive” Khokon had been staying in Stockholm with his daughter Shamsun Nahar Begum and son-in-law Mohammed Bodiuzzaman Shaikh.
Present address of the BNP leader is Bredängsvägen 222; apartment: 1001; 127 32 Skärholmen; Stockholm, the team said.
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.
As vice-president of the Nagarkanda unit of BNP, Khokon won the municipality election in 2011 to become mayor.