The International Crimes Tribunal’s verdict against Nizami is a major step towards ridding the nation’s stigma of not being able to punish its enemies for the last 43 years, war crimes trial campaigners said yesterday, but cautioned that jubilation over the verdict would be complete only when the tribunal’s decision is upheld and executed.
The verdict against Motiur Rahman Nizami – former president of the then Jamaat student wing Islami Chhatra Sangha – was hailed by relatives of Liberation War martyrs, survivors, witnesses and freedom fighters.
Many of them gathered outside the tribunal premises ahead of the verdict against the Jamaat chief, and cheered together after the tribunal found Nizami guilty in eight out of 16 charges.
Charge number eight – one of the charges for which Nizami was found guilty – held the Jamaat leader responsible for killing Dhaka’s guerilla freedom fighters Rumi, Bodi, Jewel and Azad.
In his immediate reaction after the verdict, Nasiruddin Yusuff Bachchu, a freedom fighter and a friend of Rumi, said: “Nizami often visited the camp where Rumi, Bodi and Jewel were confined after their abduction by the anti-liberation forces. Nizami even told the Pakistani army captain to kill them.
“Nizami has been given the death penalty for that crime. As a freedom fighter I am happy with the verdict. We are waiting to see the execution,” he said.
Freedom fighter Zahir Uddin Jalal, also known as Bichchhu Jalal, who was detained with the four guerillas but luckily escaped, said: “Nizami deserves the death sentence. If we could find him in 1971, we would not hesitate to kill him. We tried several times to kill him but missed... The family members of martyred intellectuals will also get relief after hearing the verdict.”
Jubilation at the verdict was also expressed by Bir Bikrom Abul Kalam Azad, who fought the war under sector 11. However, he cautioned: “I am worried whether he [Nizami] will be saved by the apex court like Sayedee... Therefore, until I see him hanged to death, I will not be happy from the bottom of my heart.”
Muntassir Mamoon, vice-president of Ekattorer Ghatak Dalal Nirmul Committee, also expressed his satisfaction over the verdict and said people’s expectations were met.
“Against a brutal offender like Nizami, there is no other verdict in the country other than the death sentence. But we have to keep in mind that there are many culprits left in the country like him. They have been hiding behind the banner of the BNP and also the war criminal party Jamaat. We will be happy when we will be able to root out all of the Pakistani souls from the country, whoever they are or wherever they are hiding.”
“The souls of the martyrs will rest in peace once all of them are washed away,” he said.
Shyamoli Nasreen Chowdhury, a war crimes trial campaigner and widow of martyred physician Dr Alim Chowdhury, said families of the martyrs were happy as they had long been campaigning for the much expected verdict. The judges’ observations in the verdict were outstanding, she added.
“But we are very concerned. We saw that war criminal Delwar Hossain Sayedee escaped death penalty in the [appeal judgement by] apex court. If in the final judgement Nizami could escape the death sentence like him and was awarded with lifetime imprisonment, it will be like acquitting that heinous war criminal who killed my husband.”
“If it happens, he will live a luxurious life in jail and die a natural death or be freed if the government changes. It will be injustice to the families of martyrs,” Shyamoli Nasreen said.
KM Safiullah, chairman of Sector Commanders Forum, said: “This is a perfect verdict. We wanted this and people of the country wanted this. The departed souls of 30 lakh martyrs will finally rest in peace once the verdict is quickly executed.”
In his reaction, Liberation War Museum Trustee Mafidul Haque said: “Nizami committed crimes against humanity using religion and the court has mentioned it. It is a historical verdict.”
Michbahur Rahman, a prosecution witness of the case, expressed his joy at the “historical” verdict, while another witness Habibur Rahman told the Dhaka Tribune that he personally wanted the judgement to be executed as soon as possible.
Abdus Salam Latif, another witness, said: “We are in fear as the verdict date of Nizami had previously been deferred for three times and in future I fear that the verdict could be changed into a lifetime imprisonment. I urge the government to hang him as early as possible.”
