As the Dhaka Central Jail authorities has submitted the final health report of Jamaat-e-Islami chief Motiur Rahman Nizami mentioning that he is “fit,” prosecutors said now there is no barrier to pronounce verdict in the war crimes case against him.
Last Thursday, the jail authorities wrote to the registrar’s office of the International Crimes Tribunal saying that Nizami, 69, was in good health, Arunav Chakraborty, the tribunal’s deputy registrar told the Dhaka Tribune.
“Since Nizami has regained stability, there is no bar to pronounce the verdict in his presence,” said Tureen Afroz, one of the conducting prosecutors of the case.
On June 24, the tribunal 1 deferred the long-awaited verdict due to the sudden illness of the accused. The jail authorities wrote to the tribunal about the illness only hours before the pronouncement of verdict mentioning that physicians had advised not to move Nizami anywhere.
However, the accused was fit the previous day when he had been taken to Dhaka from Kashimpur jail, officials said.
Two days later, the jail authorities told the tribunal that Nizami’s health had improved slightly but not stable.
Farman Ali, senior jail super of Dhaka, said physicians after a check up at Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib Medical University declared him stable and fit.
He said Nizami has been sent back to his designated cell instead of the jail hospital, where he has been kept since June 24.
Arunav told to Dhaka Tribune: “Legally there is no barrier to set a new date to pronounce the verdict. The tribunal may set the new date after observing the recent report sent by the jail authorities.”
Prosecutor Zead Al Malum echoed his view.
The verdict against Nizami prolonged for various reasons since December last year. No other case faced such unusual situation at the tribunal 1. The trial took around four years due to the defence’s delay strategy, prosecution’s mismanagement and time consuming reform of the tribunal. The prosecution has changed its conducting prosecutor for this particular case four times.
Nizami is the last “high-profile” war crimes accused who faces 16 charges of crimes against humanity including genocide.
The two tribunals have so far sentenced eight people to death; one got life term imprisonment while another 90 years in prison.
