A prosecution witness testifying against Jamaat-e-Islami chief Motiur Rahman Nizami told the International Crimes Tribunal (ICT) 1 on Wednesday members of al-Badr and razakars killed his freedom fighter father and tortured his brother on Nizami’s orders.
The 15th prosecution witness, Aminul Islam Dablew said his elder brother Md Abdus Selim Latif and his cousin were taken by razakars who were Nizami’s associates to a launch jetty in Bera, Pabna and tortured, probably on August 15, 1971.
On May 28 last year Nizami was indicted on 16 counts of crimes against humanity, allegedly committed by him in Pabna and Dhaka during the 1971 Liberation War. Charges include genocide, rape, torture, abduction, confinement and conspiracy.
Aminul Islam told the tribunal razakars burned down over 70 homes in their village on Nizami’s order, on the same day they also took away his father, Sohrab Ali Pramanik, and killed him as directed by the accused.
Now 45 years old, the witness said he heard about all these incidences from his mother, brother Latif and other relatives.
Afterwards, the witness was cross examined by Nizami’s defence counsel Mizanul Islam.
Earlier on Sunday Aminul Islam’s brother, the freedom fighter Latif testified as the 14th prosecution witness.
In his deposition he said: “On August 15, 1971, we went to Bera to free the area. Some al-Badr members captured me and my cousin Alauddin. They were following Nizami’s orders and took us to the Nagarbari army camp, where I saw Nizami speaking with army personnel. At the camp I was tortured because I refused to give them any information.”
