War crimes convict Abdul Alim was present in the dock when International Crimes Tribunal 2 judges were pronouncing their judgement against him on Wednesday, but he claimed the whole session he could not hear anything as the speaker was in low volume.
Restless, the 83-year-old would periodically ask his son Sazzad Bin Alim about what the judges had said. When tribunal Chairman Justice Obaidul Hassan pronounced that Alim would be imprisoned “for the remaining part of life,” he again enquired to his son.
Sazzad told him: “It is a life term. Do not worry.” And finally, Alim found enough comfort to smile after around two hours of anxiety.
On previous verdict days, the tribunal room has been full of people. But it was different on Wednesday. When the three-member panel was reading the verdict, most of the attendees had a seat. Only three counsels were present on the defence side, while the other side had its full complement of 22 prosecutors.
In its verdict, the tribunal said: “Accused Md Abdul Alim never opted to articulate remorse in any manner, either during or before the trial, for his acts forming part of attack that resulted commission of horrendous atrocities constituting the offence of crimes against humanity and genocide during 1971.”
Then Sazzad, who had appeared as a defence witness in support of his father, wrote on a writing pad “though life term.” Most of the time, he noted some points from the verdict and explained to his father while trying to relax him, saying, “It was known to us, please do not get excited.”
Through to the end of the verdict pronouncement, Alim did not say anything. When the judges were leaving the courtroom, the old man, who was wearing a white lungi and half-sleeve qurta, murmured: “Assalamualaikum.”
Alim was brought into the courtroom at about 10:40am, around 10 minutes before the judges. His two sons, Sazzad and Khalid Bin Alim, took seats separately at the last two benches of the defence side, not far from the dock. Khalid was seen reciting Qur’an silently, and he did not once try to talk to his father in courtroom.
Alim was in the dock for the first time, as he was on bail after his arrest.
Around 12 noon, turning to the journalists, Alim asked: “Can you hear [what the judges are saying]? I cannot.” That time, he seemed tense. Sazzad showed him his writing pad, saying, “I am writing everything.”
After the verdict, Sazzad claimed that his father had been awarded imprisonment until death based on false charges. “Everyone from Joypurhat knows my father very well.”
At that time, freedom fighter Shahidul Haq, known as “Mama,” said in passing: “This is the last part of drama. Do not believe them.”
Alim’s sons were not bothered by the comment.
Arunava Chakrabarty, deputy registrar of the tribunal, said they were concerned about security of the tribunal. A Special Branch inspector was thrust out of the courtroom for carrying a mobile phone illegally and taking photos of journalists inside the court.
Like the other verdict days, the tribunal chairman before pronouncing the verdict told the newsmen to behave responsibly during the delivery of sentence. However, just after the end of final part of the verdict, the television reporters ran out of the court room, creating a loud noise on its wooden floor.