The International Crimes Tribunal 2 yesterday dismissed Mizanur Rahman, the conducting counsel for war crimes accused AKM Yusuf, for not showing up in the court proceedings during blockades despite several warnings.
The tribunal ordered that Mizanur would never be able to conduct any war crimes case for any other accused in future. The senior defence counsel had been remained absent since November 25, when the opposition enforced the nationwide blockade programme.
It said: “We are giving you time whenever you want but when you go out of the tribunal you claim that it is not maintaining international standard, it is not fair enough. So we are setting standard. We shall not allow him [Mizanur] to come to this court.”
The tribunal also criticised the defence counsels for skipping the proceedings while going to other places including the Supreme Court during blockade programmes.
Mizanur was seen at the Appellate Division yesterday with Jamaat lawyers.
On Monday, the tribunal warned Yusuf and gave him four options to continue the trial process: whether he would cross examine the witnesses himself, order junior counsels to cross examine, appoint new counsel or else the tribunal can appoint a new lawyer.
Yesterday, junior defence counsel Gazi MH Tamim said Yusuf was not ready to accept a state defence counsel. The tribunal ordered that if Yusuf failed to appoint a new lawyer by Sunday, it would appoint a state defence lawyer.
At the same time, the tribunal asked the defence to inform it by today the name of the new counsel and whether the lawyer would cross examine the prosecution’s 18th witness. The tribunal also closed the cross-examination of the 17th witness, sixth time in the case.
Defence counsel Tajul Islam said: “We cannot comment against any order passed by the tribunal. But it is unexpected.”
Meanwhile, 18th prosecution witness Shikder Habibur Rahman, 61, gave his deposition at the tribunal yesterday.
He said Yusuf had been responsible for killings, looting and arson at their village Bachhot in Bagerhat as well as killings in Dumuria, Batiaghata, Rampal, Kochua, Morelganj and Sarankhola areas. He also described meetings of Peace Committee where the accused had addressed and instigated the collaborators to commit crimes against humanity.
“In mid May of 1971, at least 25 razakars attacked our house and that of Sunil Kumar Ghosh. Sunil died and my father was seriously wounded,” he said.
The witness, who was a freedom fighter trained in Bihar, claimed that by the order of Yusuf, razakars had converted at least 200 Hindu people to Muslim. He also said Razakars at Bhasha Bazar had abducted 20 people and killed them near Dhopabarir Moore.
Following his testimony, defence counsel Tamim began cross examining the witness. The questioning remained incomplete.
