The defence of war crimes accused Mir Kashem Ali began placing closing arguments yesterday and denied all the charges pressed against the Jamaat-e-Islami Executive member.
Mizanul Islam argued for half of the session claiming that during the 1971 Liberation War, the accused had not played any role as commander of al-Badr as claimed by the prosecution.
He also claimed that the prosecution witnesses including the investigation officer had given false statements at the tribunal and that the accused had not been present at the scene of crimes.
At the end of day’s proceedings, the International Crimes Tribunal 2 adjourned the hearing until today for the defence to place further argument.
Mir Kashem, also the Jamaat treasurer and key fancier, was indicted on September 5 last year on 14 charges of crimes against humanity he had committed in Chittagong as an al-Badr commander.
According to the government, Kashem paid a US lobbyist firm $25m to make the tribunal controversial. The accused owns a number of businesses including Diganta Media Corporation that runs Diganta TV and the daily Naya Diganta. According to the defence, he is the founding trustee and also a member responsible for administration of the Ibn Sina Trust and director (marketing) of Ibn Sina Pharmaceutical Industries.
The defence yesterday argued on five charges mostly related to Daleem Hotel.
Refuting the claim of the prosecution that it was an al-Badr torture cell, the defence said Daleem Hotel had not been a torture cell of the al-Badr as it was under the control of Motiur Rahman alias Moitya Gunda.
The defence also claimed that description of the charges and deposition of the witnesses had been different while the prosecution never filed any review petition to change the language of charges framed by the tribunal.
The prosecution completed its part of closing arguments on Monday and sought highest punishment for the “Bangalee Khan of 1971.”
According to the prosecution, Mir Kashem was the chief of Chittagong city unit of Islami Chhatra Sangha, then Jamaat’s student wing.
Mir Kashem had led the armed al-Badr group in the port city and used Daleem Hotel as their torture camp where freedom fighters and the pro-liberation people had been brought and killed following torture.