The International Crimes Tribunal sentenced absconding Jamaat-e-Islami leaders Hamidur Rahman Azad and Rafiqul Islam Khan to three months in jail and fined Tk3,000 each in a contempt of court case on Sunday.
The two along with Jamaat’s Assistant Secretary General of Dhaka city unit Selim Uddin were facing the charge for terming the tribunal “controversial” and “dubious” at public meetings on February 4 and 5.
Selim was fined Tk1,000 and served with a token imprisonment, which was conducted during the trial.
In case of defaulting the fines, Selim will have to spend a week in jail while the others two will serve two weeks each.
Speaking at a demonstration on February 4, Selim and Cox’s Bazar 2 lawmaker Hamidur Rahman Azad termed the ICT “controversial” and “dubious” and said the tribunal judges “needed to think before giving any verdict since the verdicts could lead the country to a civil war.”
At a press conference the next day, Jamaat’s acting Secretary General Rafiqul Islam Khan also made similar remarks on the ICT procedures.
On March 6, the tribunal ordered the arrest of the three Jamaat leaders and asked law enforcers to produce them at the tribunal on March 21.
On April 10, Dhaka Metropolitan Police officials admitted their failure to arrest the Jamaat leaders and said they were trying to arrest central Jamaat leaders – Hamidur and Rafiqul. Later on April 21, the DMP in its progress report said the two had been absconding.
Interestingly, Hamidur Rahman addressed a rally of the 18-party opposition alliance in the capital on May 4 in the presence of hundreds of law enforcers.
Apart from Selim, the other two did not submit any explanation to ICT 2. The tribunal had issued notices to them on February 7, asking why steps should not be taken against them for their remarks on the tribunal. It even extended the submission date several times.
The tribunal of Justice Obaidul Hasan, Justice Md Mozibur Rahman Miah and Judge M Shahinur Islam fixed Sunday for delivering the verdict after watching video footages of the public meetings. It said the verdict would be effective from the day they were arrested.
In his confessional statement submitted to the ICT, Selim said his speeches were political in nature and directed at the government. He said he had no intention to hurt the tribunal’s image.
“Even though if the tribunal finds me guilty of contempt of court, I beg for mercy,” Selim said.