ICT awaits verdict in 30th war crimes cases

The International Crimes Tribunal (ICT) is waiting verdict in 30th cases lodged over crimes against humanity in 1971.

A three-member panel of the ICT-1 on November 20, kept the judgement on CAV (curia advisory vault, a Latin legal term meaning the court awaits verdict), meaning the tribunal can pass verdict on any day in a case filed against five Moulvibazar men.

The five accused are Shamsul Hossain Tarafder alias Ashraf, Md Nesar Ali, Yunus Ahmed, Md. Ujer Ahmed Chowdhury and Mobarak Mia. Of the five, only Yunus and Ujer are in jail.

Earlier, the two tribunals pronounced judgments in 29 cases since their inception. The government, however, kept the ICT-2 non-functioning since September 15, 2015.

The Appellate Division of the Supreme Court in the meantime, included three appeal matters filed in the cases against Jamaat leaders ATM Azharul Islam, Mawlana Abdus Subhan and former Jatiya Party leader Syed Md Qaiser, into its cause list for hearing. 

The ICT-2 on December 23 in 2014, sentenced Qaiser to death, while the same tribunal on February 18 in 2015, handed down the death sentence to Subhan for committing crimes against humanity in Pabna.

The ICT-1 on December 30 in 2014, sentenced Jamaat leader ATM Azharul Islam to death for his monstrous crimes in 1971. All the three convicts later filed appeal against their ICT conviction.

Source: unb