The prosecution of the war crimes tribunal on Tuesday filed a contempt petition against the concerned officials and participants of a programme on the private television network, Channel24, for commenting on the trial against war crimes accused Salauddin Quader Chowdhury. The verdict is expected to be pronounced any day in Salauddin’s case.
In its contempt petition, the prosecution has identified eight accused – the channel’s managing director, chief executive officer, executive director, head of program, producer of talk show named “Muktobaak”, anchor of the programme Mahmudur Rahman Manna, and participants Zafrullah Chowdhury, trustee of Gonoshasthaya Kendra, and Mahfuz Ullah, secretary general of Centre for Sustainable Development.
On September 18, the private channel aired the talk show where Zafrullah and Mahfuz Ullah suggested that Salauddin Quader had not got the opportunity to place defence witnesses and that his rights had been curtailed.
The prosecution submitted the petition to the registrar of the International Crimes Tribunal.
Terming the allegation “biased, baseless, utterly false, fabricated and ill-motivated,” the prosecution said such remarks would cast doubts on the tribunal’s proceedings.
“Such a statement was made only to taint the tribunal and its process and to undermine the confidence of the people in the integrity of the tribunal and its processes.”
In the petition, the petitioner has sought the issue of contempt order by the court, a ban on further broadcasting, circulation or use in any manner or in any other form of the “scandalous statement” made on the said talk show, and upon their guilt being proven, to sentence the accused to imprisonment of one year and/or adequate fine.
Prosecutor Tureen Afroz told the Dhaka Tribune that the accused did not even know the privileges accorded to Salauddin Quader. “Their intention is clear: to discredit this tribunal and its process.”
Another prosecutor Tapos Kanti Bol said Salauddin Quader’s verdict could be pronounced any time. “The accused have tried to criticise the tribunal at this time; it is clearly a contempt of court as it is a sub-judice matter.”
BNP lawmaker Salauddin Quader was allowed to produce five witnesses to testify in his favour. He was the first witness to defend himself. The tribunal closed deposition after recording testimonies of four witnesses since the other witness had not appeared within the stipulated time. The defence had submitted several time petitions to allow the fifth witness – a Supreme Court judge.