The International Crimes Tribunal 1 yesterday allowed four witnesses to defend Jamaat-e-Islami leader ATM Azharul Islam in the war crimes case against him.
The tribunal set the number from a list of 15 witnesses and asked defence lawyer Abdus Sobhan Tarafder to submit the final list by July 10. It also set July 13 to begin deposition of the witnesses.
The order came after the tribunal heard both the sides on a prosecution petition seeking cancellation of the list of 15 witnesses.
Earlier, 19 prosecution witnesses testified in the case where Azhar, the alleged al-Badr commander of Rangpur, is facing six charges of crimes against humanity.
While passing the order, tribunal Chairman Justice M Enayetur Rahim told Tarafder: “The way you submitted the list, without any particulars and detail of the witnesses, it should have been rejected. Yet, we are accepting the plea.”
Meanwhile, the same tribunal set August 20 for submitting the final report on investigation in the case against three war crimes suspects – Abdul Latif Talukder, Khan Akram Hossain and fugitive Sirajul Haque alias Siraj Master.
Prosecutor Syed Sayedul Haque sought six more months to prepare the report. The prosecutor also pleaded to grill Khan Akram in safe home and the tribunal allowed the plea.
M Sarwar Hossain, defence counsel for Latif, sought bail for his client saying that the accused had been innocent. “He lives an ordinary life in his village and never tried to intervene in the investigation.”
After a hearing, the tribunal accepted his other plea to have privilege communication with Latif in jail.
