Dhaka: Supreme Court Appellate Division Monday ejected David Bergman, a British-born journalist in Dhaka, from the court room as he was attempting to use a mobile phone violating the court rules.

This happened while the Appellate Division was uttering the verdict on appeal petition of Jamaat leader Kamaruzzaman.

The four-member division headed by Justice SK Sinha upheld the ICT verdict of death penalty against the Jamaat leader for his crimes against humanity during liberation war in 1971. 

Justice SK Sinha read out the summery verdict at around 9:10 am Monday morning.  At that point of time Bergman opened his mobile phone and attempted to use it.

This did not go out of the site of the justices in the division.

Why are you using the mobile phone? One of the Justices asked David Bergman.

You made the same offence earlier. You were warned then, but still you are disobeying, the court added.

The court asked David Bergman to stand up inside the courtroom full of journalists and lawyers.

Bergman stood up and tried to say that he did not use the phone, he was only holding it on his hand.

It is a courtroom; the justice reminded the British-born journalist who works for the Daily New Age, an English language daily in Dhaka.

You must know that it is forbidden to bring phone inside courtroom, told the Justice.

Bergman, a spouse of a Bangladeshi renowned woman lawyer, agreed with the court version by bowing down his head.

But the court was not satisfied. The Justice asked David Bergman to leave the court-room immediately.

`Get out’, he said.

Then Bergman went out of the courtroom.

Bergman is presently undergoing a trial at the International Crimes Tribunal for contempt charges. 

These charges were brought against him for publishing two articles named `Azad Judgment Analysis-1 in Absentia Trial and Defense Inadequacy and `Azad Judgment Analysis-2, Tribunal Assumption’ in his personal blog in January 2013.

Both the articles were on the verdict of International Crimes Tribunal against Abul Kalam Azad, the absconding death convict of war crimes.

Besides, the Tribunal served a show-cause notice against David Bergman, New Age Editor Nurul Kabir and its publisher Shahidullah Khan for an article titled `A Crucial Period for ICT’ published on 2 October, 2011.

After taking the hearing on the show-cause the ICT issued the highest warning against David Bergman for writing that article.

BDST 1224 HRS, Nov 03, 2014