DHAKA: The International Crimes Tribunal is all set to start its judicial function Sunday to put to trial the perpetrators of crimes against humanity committed during Bangladesh War of Liberation way back in 1971.

To begin with, the tribunal will take up the cases of the five top leaders of Jamaat-e-Islami already arrested on different charges and implicated in cases of wartime crimes, several sources concerned said.

Though the tribunal’s investigation agency and panel of prosecutors have been working since its inception on March 25 this year, judicial work remained on the backburner.

Justice Nizamul Huq Nasim is leading the special court as its chairman with Justice ATM Fazle Kabir and retired district judge AKM Jahir Ahmed as its members in the crucial task pregnant with high political implications.

A tribunal member, on condition of anonymity, said the five leaders of Jamaat could be put in the dock before the forthcoming Eid-ul-Fitr.

He also said the probe agency has carried out investigations against the leaders. Investigation officers have already handed over the records of war-crime cases filed against them with Pirojpur, and capital’s Pallabi and Keraniganj  thanas to the tribunal.

Jamaat chief Motiur Rahman Nizami, Secretary-General Ali Ahsan Mohammad Mojaheed and Nayeb-e-Ameer Delwar Hossain Sayedee were arrested on June 29 on charges of hurting religious sentiments of Muslims through their blasphemous comments.

Later, party assistant secretaries-general Mohammad Kamaruzzaman and Abdul Quader Mollah were arrested from the High Court gate on July 13 in a murder-and-arson case filed with Pallabi thana by an injured freedom fighter in January 2008.

The investigation agency already appealed to the chief prosecutor of the tribunal regarding the next course of action, sources said to banglanews24.com.bd.
 
Mozaffar Ahmad Khan, Dhaka district-unit Muktijoddha commander, on December 17, 2007 filed a case with Keraniganj thana against Jamaat Ameer Matiur Rahman Nizami, Secretary-General Ali Ahsan Mohammad Mojaheed and seven of their party men on charge killing two freedom fighters during the liberation war.

As per the case statement, the Jamaat men killed Osman Gani and Golam Mostafa on November 25 in 1971.

Nizami was made Al-Badr commander of Pakistan while Mojaheed acted as commander of its East Pakistan wing, said the complainant, adding that Quader and Quamruzzaman and their other cohorts also formed the higher rung of Al-Badr.

The case filed for ’71 genocide at Alokdi village in Pallabi was sent to the war-crime tribunal. Freedom fighter Amir Hossain Mollah filed the case on January 24, 2008 with the Chief Metropolitan Magistrate`s Court.

Amir Hossain in the case statement said Nizami, Mojaheed, Kamaruzzaman, Quader Molla and others “killed 345 people” in Mirpur during the Liberation War.

Chief prosecutor of the panel Golam Arif Tipu told banglanews24.com.bd, “The function of the tribunal started with the handover of the cases.”

“It is not possible to run the proceedings of war-crime cases without the International Crimes Tribunal,” he added.

An official of the investigating agency of the tribunal, wishing anonymity, said, “Under section 3 (2) of the International Crimes Protection Act 1973, allegations of crimes against humanity, including genocide, killings, looting, rape, torching and vandalism, can be filed. Besides, appeal for arresting the accused in this regard can also be made.”

Meanwhile, the security system has been tightened ahead of the start of the tribunal’s judicial function on war-crime trial. Besides an archway on the main entrance, close-circuit (CC) cameras were set up around the Tribunal Bhaban to put up the security bulwark.

Above all, the International Crimes Tribunal is now fully ready to get down to doing the judicial function, said Golam Arif Tipu.

BDST: 1544HRS, JULY 24, 2010