The son of detained war crimes accused Mobarak Hossain, a razakar commander of Brahmanbaria during the 1971 Liberation War, yesterday gave his deposition as the second defence witness.
Mohammad Asad Uddin, 37, claimed that his father was innocent and a victim of conspiracy.
On November 25 last year, after the end of prosecution witness in the case, the International Crimes Tribunal 1 allowed three defence witnesses including the accused.
Defence counsel Tajul Islam helped Asad submitting his statement. The witness said his father was the organising secretary of Awami League’s ward 3 unit of Mugra Union in Brahmanbaria and that he had not been involved with the politics of Jamaat-e-Islami. Terming the case false, Asad claimed that his father was subjected to village conspiracy.
According to the charge sheet, Mobarak was a member of Jamaat’s union unit in Akhaura, after the war. Later, he joined the Awami League and was expelled two years ago.
He also claimed that his father was 13-year-old during the war. So there was no possibility for an adolescent to become a razakar member. The accused was not even charged during the special trial of collaborators in 1972.
Asad also placed some documents as exhibit but the tribunal did not accept those as the documents were not certified. Defence counsel Tajul said they had earlier submitted these types of documents in other cases. “We can even submit stolen papers to prove my client innocent.”
The tribunal then said: “We cannot approve any purchased document as it is not official or identified as official document.”
Asad placed a book “Muktijuddhe Brahmanbaria” written by Jaidul Hossain and claimed that all the five charges brought against his father by the prosecution were described there. But the book never mentioned Mobarak’s name as a war criminal of Brahmanbaria.
After his deposition, prosecutor Shahedur Rahman started to cross examine him. The tribunal set today for further grilling of the witness.
Mobarak was indicted on April 23 last year on five charges of crimes against humanity that include killing of 33 people in Akhaura, vandalising temple, torturing and killing Ashuranjan Deb at a razakar camp, and abductions and killings in Shyampur.
Khodeja Begum, whose father was allegedly killed by Mobarak, filed a case with Brahmanbaria court on May 3, 2009, which was transferred to (ICT)-1 in 2011. The tribunal then asked its investigation agency to probe into the matter.