The prosecution yesterday ended the charge framing hearing against Jamaat-e-Islami Assistant Secretary General ATM Azharul Islam on charges of crimes against humaniy during the 1971 Liberation War.
The three-member ICT led by ATM Fazle Kabir also fixed June 15 to hear the investigation officer’s testimony as the prosecution requested for some preparation time.
As the 18th prosecution witness Azab Uddin Mia testified before the court in the case filed against Azhar.
SM Idris Ali, investigation officer of the case, seized the 1971 news reports published in the Daily Sangram and the Azad from the Bangla Academy library in the presence of Azab.
After his deposition, defence counsel Abdus Sobhan Tarafder questioned Azab.
Meanwhile, the tribunal accepted the prosecution’s plea as the additional document.
On September 13, 1971, the Daily Sangram published a report titled “Mejbahuddin killed by miscreants in Rangpur,” which was based on statements of the then president of Islami Chhatra Shangha’s Rangpur district unit, and Azhar Islam, president of the party’s Rangpur city unit.
The report stated that they were shocked at the death of Mejbahuddin and warned saying that the miscreants would not be able to eliminate the progress of Islami movement through killing one or two Mujaheed like Mejbahuddin. The miscreants from India would not be able to establish supremacy by this misdeed.
The report also stated that Mejbahuddin was primary member of Islami Chhatra Sangha who was killed by the miscreants from India.
Meanwhile, Mizanul Islam, defence counsel of Moulana Abdus Subhan, another Jamaat leader accused of war crimes, ended grilling the ninth prosecution witness and the tribunal set Thursday for further testimony.
During cross examination, the defence denied almost every claim of the witness. At one stage, he termed the witness an opportunist, who strongly denied the claim.
Riaz Uddin Mandal, 72, an Ansar member from Arunkhola in Ishwardi, Pabna, claimed that Subhan was the criminal who abducted and tortured his brother. The witness also stated that when his brother Jhoru Kha returned from the torture camp, he said he was brutally tortured by Subhan, Khoda Box and other razakars. Sometimes, they also charged bayonet on confined people that made them disabled for the rest of their lives.
During cross examination, when Mizanul Islam asked Riaz whether he had the freedom fighter certificate, he said he did.
Later, the defence raised a question on Riaz’s part in the Liberation War, which was dismissed by the witness as well.
On December 31 last year, the ICT 1 indicted Subhan with nine charges of crimes against humanity, but on March 27 this year the case was transferred to ICT 2.
