Panna Kaiser, widow of noted martyred intellectual Shahidullah Kaiser, will testify as a prosecution witness before the International Crimes Tribunal (ICT) 2 against war crimes suspect Chowdhury Mueen Uddin, and Ashrafuzzaman Khan on Monday.
The prosecution told this to judges on Wednesday.
The trial against Mueen and Ashrafuzzaman began in absentia on July 15, 2013 since they did not appear before the tribunal.
Since the duo did not respond to the tribunal’s order, it appointed lawyers Abdus Shukur Khan and Salma Hye as their counsels.
The prosecution submitted formal charges against the accused on April 25.
Mueen and Ashrafuzzaman - two leaders of al-Badr - are accused of killing prominent intellectuals of the country in the Liberation War of 1971.
ICT 2 has indicted the duo and brought 11 counts of crimes against humanity in 1971.
The prosecution, however, had brought 16 charges against the two under the section 3(2) of the act, which deals with crimes against humanity, and peace, genocide and rape.
The prosecution says Ashrafuzzaman and Mueen were active leaders of al-Badr, which assisted the Pakistani occupational army in killing leading intellectuals of the country.
Ashraf and Mueen, who now reside in New York and London respectively, were jointly involved in the killings of 18 intellectuals, including Shahidullah Kaiser and Selina Parvin.
Among the 18 intellectuals killed, nine were Dhaka University teachers, six were journalists and three were doctors, according to the probe report of the prosecution.
Mueen Uddin was the “operation-in-charge” while Ashrafuzzaman played the role of “chief executor” of al-Badr.
On May 11 this year, the tribunal ordered that a public announcement be made in the newspapers, in accordance with the rules of procedure of the International Crimes Tribunal Act, asking war crimes suspects Ashrafuzzaman and Mueen Uddin to appear before the tribunal within 10 days of the publication.
Following the order, notices were published in the national dailies on May 12, asking them to appear in the court.
Since the two did not respond to the tribunal’s order, the trial appointed lawyers Abdus Shukur Khan and Salma Hye Tuni as their defence counsels on May 27.
On May 2, the tribunal issued arrest warrants against the two because of their involvement in killing of intellectuals. On April 25, the prosecution submitted formal charges against them.
