Another Islamist leader to face ‘war crimes’ trial

DHAKA - A fifth Islamist leader in Bangladesh is set to face “war crimes” trial on charges of targetting unarmed civilians during the 1971 freedom movement.

Bangladesh’s International Crimes Tribunal Wednesday directed the authorities concerned to produce Jamaat-e-Islami vice chief Delwar Hossain Sayedee before it coming Tuesday.

The three-member tribunal headed by Justice Nizanul Huq fixed Aug 10 to hold the hearing on the petition filed by the prosecution seeking its direction to issue arrest warrant against Sayedee, Star Online, website of The Daily Star newspaper reported Wednesday.

Along with Sayedee, the tribunal will also hear bail petitions filed by the lawyers for four others who have been booked - Jamaat’s chief Motiur Rahman Nizami, its secretary general Ali Ahsan Muhammad Mojahid, and two senior secretary generals Muhammad Kamaruzzaman and Abdul Quader Molla.

The five are accused of belonging to Al Badr, an Islamist militia that looted, raped and murdered pro-freedom people and religious minorities in the run up to the movement that ended with separation from Pakistan.

The five form the first batch of Islamists brought to trial.

The government of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina began the trial last month after changing the relevant law and appointing a three-judge tribunal.

Justices A.T.M. Fazle Kabir and A.K.M. Zaheer Ahmed are the other two members of the tribunal.

The tribunal is to hear evidence against an unspecified number of people who are accused of collaborating with then East Pakistan authorities to quell the freedom movement.

Bangladesh says three million people perished during the freedom movement.