DHAKA: BNP leader Zahid Hossain Khokon alias Khokon Razakar was awarded death penalty for his involvement in crimes against humanity during the 1971 Liberation War.
The three-member International Crimes Tribunal (ICT)-1 led by Justice M Enayetur Rahim passed the order on Thursday.
The other two members of ICT-1 are- Justice Jahangir Hossain and Justice Anwarul Haque.
A total of 10 allegations out of 11 charges, including murdering 16 women and 50 children, genocide, arson, rape, loot and forcible religious conversion against Khokan were proved unequivocally.
ICT-1 Chairman Justice M Enayetur Rahim made the observation after reading out the final part of the judgement.
The condemned BNP leader, however, has gone into hiding since the war crimes investigators started their probe.
He is self proclaimed razakar saying “I was razakar and I want to die as razakar”.
According to the prosecution, Khokon became the chief of Nagarkanda Razakar Bahini as his elder brother Jafar razakar died in a fight with freedom fighters on May 29 in 1971.
The tribunal sources said Khokon Razakar had campaigned for Faridpur Jamaat-e-Islami in the 1970 national election.
After independence, he joined the BNP and was elected mayor to the Nagarkanda Municipality in 2011 and has been absconding since taking oath.
BDST: 1226 HRS, NOV 13, 2014
