DHAKA: The top financier of Jamaat-e-Islami and also intellectuals’ killer Mir Quasem Ali will be hanged for his crimes against humanity committed during the country’s war of independence in 1971.
A three-member judge panel of International Crimes Tribunal (ICT)-2 led by Justice Obaidul Hassan awarded death sentence to him in 11th and 12th number of charges.
Justice Obaidul Hassan read out the summery (11 pages) of the 351-page judgment.
As per the verdict, Mir Quasem Ali was proved guilty in 10 charges out of 14. The charge numbers are: 2, 3, 4, 6, 7,9,10, 11, 12 and 14.
The charges for which he has been awarded death penalty are:
11th Charge: Abduction of six persons including Shaheed Jasim and torturing them in confinement from the day of Eid-ul-Fitr in 1971 to November 28, 1971, subsequently killing them and concealing their bodies.
12th Charge: Abduction of Jahangir Alam Chowdhury, Tuntu Sen and Ranjit Das alias Latu and torturing them in confinement, looting and setting their houses on fire, later killing Ranjit and Tuntu in November 1971.
Besides, Quasem was sentenced 20 years of imprisonment in the 2nd charge, 10 years in 14th charge and 7 years in 3rd, 4th, 6th, 7th, 9th and 10th charges each.
The eight other charges for which he was given imprisonment are:
2nd Charge
Quasem led the abduction, confinement and torture of Lutfar Rahman Faruq on November 19, 1971 and killed him at Dalim Holet.
3rd Charge
He led the abduction of Jahangir Alam Chowdhury on either November 22 or 23 and tortured him in confinement until December 16.
4th charge
Al Badr Bahini abducted Salauddin Khan tortured him in Dalim Hotel.
6th Charge
Quasem abducted Harun-or-Rashid from a tea stall, tortured Harun at Dalim Hotel and Salma Manzil.
7th Charge
A group of 6/7 people led by Quasem abducted two men including M Sanaullah Chowdhury and others.
9th Charge
He abducted Syed M Emran and five others on November 29, 1971 and tortured them in confinement until December 16, 1971.
10th Charge
The Jamaat leader abducted M Zakaria and three others on November 29, 1971 and tortured them in confinement until December 16, 1971.
14th Charge
Abducting and killing Nasiruddin Chowdhury and torturing him.
Earlier, a prison van carrying Mir Quasem reached the court premises around 9:25am. He was produced before the court around 10:43am.
The 62-year-old was the chief of Chittagong Al-Badr, an auxiliary force of Pakistani army.
He, who was considered one of the top financiers of Jamaat, faced charges, including murder committed in the city in 1971.
Mir Quasem, chairman of the Diganta Media Corporation was also former chairman of Islami Bank.
BDST: 1234 HRS, NOV 02, 2014
** 14 charges against Mir Quasem
