Judges at the International Crimes Tribunal (ICT) 2 on Wednesday began reading out the verdict on Jamaat-e-Islam Secretary General Ali Ahsan Mohammad Mujaheed, who has been charged on 34 formal charges of committing crimes against humanity including murder, massacre, rape and looting.
Mujaheed was brought to the courtroom at 11am.
Chairman of ICT 2, Justice Obaidul Hasan, thanked the lawyers of both the prosecution and defence and announced the beginning of the day's proceedings.
In his preamble speech, he said: “There is no chance of rejecting the verdict. But, anyone can file an appeal against it.”
Shahinur Islam, a judge on the panel, started reading out from the 209-page verdict at 11:15am. The court will read out a 53-page excerpt.
Freedom fighters, eminent personalities and leaders of the Ghatak Dalal Nirmul Committee were seen at the ICT 2 premises, awaiting the verdict of the Jamaat leader.
The three-member judge panel of ICT arrived at the court premises at around 10:20am.
Media, lawyers, and many others from various walks of life had been gathering at the tribunal premises since the morning.
Police and the Rapid Action Battalion (Rab) were seen alert outside the tribunal premises. Security in and around the tribunal had been beefed up ahead of the verdict.
Earlier, the former Jamaat leader was brought to the court premises at about 9:40am.
Background
Mujaheed, 66, was allegedly a key man of the secret killing squad al-Badr, an auxiliary force of the Pakistan army, blamed for the abduction and killing of intellectuals only days ahead of the country’s victory in the War of Independence against Pakistan.
The International Crimes Tribunal 2, led by Justice Obaidul Hasan, set the verdict date Tuesday, a day after the Tribunal 1 sentenced former Jamaat chief Ghulam Azam to 90 years in jail. The two other judges, Justice Md Mujibur Rahman Mia and Judge Shahinur Islam, were also present.
Mujaheed, also a former technocrat minister of the previous BNP-led alliance government, was in the dock Tuesday. He is facing seven charges of crimes against humanity, including genocide, murder, torture, conspiracy, planning incitement and complicity in atrocities.
After the announcement of the verdict date, the prosecution said they could prove the charges against Mujaheed and thus, pleaded for capital punishment.
Abdur Razzaq, the chief defence counsel for Mujaheed and also a senior Jamaat leader, while wrapping up the argument, claimed that the case was politically motivated.
“He is an honest person and the tribunal will find him not guilty,” he said.
The trial against Mujaheed ended on June 5, when the tribunal concluded the proceedings, fixing no date and time for the verdict. It was kept as CAV which means the verdict could be delivered any time.
According to the prosecution, Mujaheed, the then alleged chief of al-Badr had reportedly masterminded exterminating the intellectuals and executed his plan by designating the members of his squad, which was formed with the activists of Islami Chhatra Sangha, then student wing of Jamaat.
The Jamaat leader was arrested on June 29, 2010 on charges of defying court orders and was shown arrested in the war crimes case on August 2 of the same year.
On December 11, 2011, the prosecution submitted 34 charges to the tribunal against Mujaheed. The tribunal indicted him on June 21 last year on seven charges – two counts of genocide against the Bengali Hindus and five counts of crimes against humanity for killing, forced deportation, abduction, torture and arson.
The formal trial began on July 19.
The prosecution brought 17 witnesses to prove Mujaheed’s crimes. However, the defence produced the son of the accused, Ali Ahmad Mabrur, as the lone witness to prove Mujaheed innocent.
