Before investigations into the war crimes allegations against Hassan Ali began, police knew his whereabouts. But after the probe was completed and the tribunal issued an arrest warrant against him, they were no longer able to locate him.
On April 18, thirteen days after the warrant had been issued, Brahmanbaria police chief Md Maniruzzaman told the Dhaka Tribune that they were not sure about the suspect’s position.
Although they knew that Hassan was physically paralysed and could not move without the help of others, the police official could give no explanation as to how the suspect managed to dodge their radar.
If he cannot be found and charges are framed against him, the International Crimes Tribunal will have to begin the trial in absentia – a practice that activists campaigning for war crimes trials do not endorse.
The tribunal has so far finished the trials in absentia of three war criminals – Abul Kalam Azad alias Bachchu Razakar, Chowdhury Mueen Uddin and Ashrafuzzaman Khan – and ordereddeath sentences forall of them.
Of them, Azad allegedly fled the country after the probe into his 1971 crimes began. Campaigners have always said a little more vigilance from security forces could have stopped him. The investigators now have very little idea about the death row war criminal’s current position.
Both Mueen and Ashrafuzzaman have been living abroad for many years – the former in England and the latter in the USA. The tribunal, before beginning trial, issued warrants against the two which they never heeded.
The trial of another fugitive, Jahid Hossain alias Khokon Razakar, is almost complete and the case is currently awaiting verdict. Reportedly, the former BNP leader Khokon fled to Sweden in 2012 after the probe began.
Yesterday, investigators have submitted a probe report against the former Jatiya Party lawmaker Abdul Jabbar. Investigation officer Helal Uddin said they had not managed to reach Jabbar since the probe began in May, last year.
Jabbar was elected Member of Parliament twice with tickets from Ershad’s JaPa from Mathbaria, Pirojpur, in 1986 and 1988.Helal said Jabbar had not been active in politics for many years.
Pirojpur police chief Asaduzzaman told that Dhaka Tribune that he could not say anything about the matter because they had notreceived any instructions from the tribunal as of yet.
The investigation agency of the tribunal is currently probing war crimes charges against another suspect, Mohammad Nasir, who allegedly killed around 30 people in Kishoreganj in 1971.
Local police, who have not managed to trace Nasir despite continuous drives, suspect that he might not be in the area at all.
Nasir, a former army personnel, used to live in Karimganj, Kishoreganj. Investigation officer Ataur Rahman claimed that he had found evidence that the suspect had committed atrocities in the Ayla village during the Liberation War.
When asked what steps were taken to ensure that the suspect could not flee, Ataur said: “It is the duty of the local law enforcers. We alerted them about the suspect long ago.”
Investigation is also ongoing against another suspect named Shakhawat Hossain, a JaPa presidium member. He was arrested in 2009 and a probe began against him in 2013. He, however, secured bail and had been absconding since.
In this situation, the investigation agency filed a petition, asking for direct arrest of suspects. It submitted a proposal to the Law Ministry on April 24 for amending the ICT Act 1973, said an insider.
The chief of the investigation agency said as the process of seeking warrant for arrest is lengthy, suspects get sufficient time to flee which is alarming for the trial.
Noted writer and war crimes trial campaigner Shahriar Kabir told the Dhaka Tribune that: “There must be an investigation to find out whether any monetary transaction is facilitating the fleeing of the suspects. In this case, the investigation agency of the tribunal should remain careful and the media must play the role of a watchdog.”
