DHAKA: War-crime hearing opened here Monday at a special tribunal with four top Jamaat leaders standing in the dock at the first go, but the court adjourned abruptly without fixing the next date.    

The International Crimes Tribunal, formed to try ‘crimes against humanity’ during the Bangladesh Liberation War nearly four decades ago, ordered the authorities to hold in detention the accused persons until further order.  

Jamaat-e-Islami Ameer Motiur Rahman Nizami and Secretary-General Ali Ahsan Mohammad Mojaheed, both former ministers, and assistant secretaries-general Mohammad Kamaruzzaman and Abdul Quader Mollah were brought out from Dhaka Central Jail and produced before the tribunal at 10:28am under a tight security cover.

Led by Justice Nizamul Huq Nasim, the three-member tribunal adjourned the hearing without fixing the next date and denying the defence counsel permission to speak on the first day.

“The accused were produced before the tribunal as per its directive,” said Chief Prosecutor Golam Arif Tipu in a brief prosecution statement.

During the proceedings, lawyer for the Jamaat leaders Barrister Abdur Razzak sought court permission to make his submission. “Not today,” the court said in a two-word reply.

The lawyer also wanted records of the charges brought against his clients and party leaders. The tribunal advised the defense to file an application seeking the papers through the Tribunal Registrar.  

The tribunal also asked the authorities concerned to keep the court informed if the accused persons get bail in other cases in the intervening period.

In the meantime, the panel of prosecutors submitted a petition to the tribunal through Registrar Shahinul Islam for issuing arrest warrant against another detained top Jamaat leader, Nayeb-e-Ameer Delwar Hossain Sayedee, on war-crime charges.              

The tribunal Registrar said August 4 has been fixed for hearing on the prosecution petition for arrest warrant against Sayedee. The next date for resuming the hearing of the charges against the four will be set on that day (Aug 4), he told reporters, after the court had adjourned.           

“The security system was tightened by deploying additional police forces in and outside the tribunal,” said a highly placed police source.

Earlier on July 29, the tribunal had summoned the four to appear before it on August 2 for the trial of the offences allegedly committed during the 1971 Bangladesh Liberation War.

The tribunal issued the summons as a follow-up to the arrest warrants issued earlier on July 26 at the first sitting of the tribunal.

The arrests were ordered after a petition was filed by the Chief Prosecutor, Golam Arif Tipu, for showing the four arrested on specific charges of crimes during the Liberation War.

The tribunal fixed August 2 for the hearing and asked the prosecution panel to inform the court about the execution of its order on that day. The petition was filed as per section 3(2) of the International Crimes Tribunal Act 1973 in order to allow investigation into the crimes.

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 perceived 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.

BDST: 1540 HRS, AUG 02, 2010