DHAKA, July 15 :-Ghulam Azam, one of the most high profile
leaders of Bangladesh's largest Islamist party, was on Monday sentenced
to 90 years in prison for war crimes including mass killings.
The International Crimes Tribunal (ICT)-1 pronounced the verdict in capital Dhaka Monday afternoon, saying Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islmai party's former chief will "die behind bars".
Azam, considered spiritual leader of Jamaat, is alleged to have created and led pro-Pakistan militias which carried out numerous murders and rapes during the nine-month 1971 war of independence against Pakistan.
The three-member panel of the ICT-1 read the summary of the 243- page verdict in the presence of a huge crowd of people, particularly journalists and lawyers amid tightened security measures in and around the tribunal.
The court started its proceeding at 10: 46 a.m. local time with chairman of International Crimes Tribunal-1, Justice ATM Fazle Kabir, reading out a short description of the case in the presence of Azam.
Wheelchair-bound Azam has already denied the charges, arguing that they are politically motivated.
After the verdict, Prosecutor Ziad Al-Mamun tribunal told reporters that "The mastermind of all crimes has been found guilty in all the 61 charges in five categories -- conspiracy, incitement, planning, abetment and failure to prevent murder."
"All the 61 charges against Azam were proved beyond a reasonable doubt," he said.
"Azam deserves death penalty but he was not given death sentence considering his age and sickness,"Al-Mamun quoted the tribunal as saying in the verdict.
According to verdict, for the first two charges he was given 20 years, for the third and fourth 20 years each and for the fourth another 30 years .
Jamaat, allegedly collaborated with the Pakistani forces in 1971 to prevent an independent Bangladesh, says Azam is the victim of a political vendetta.
Defense counselor Saifur Rahman told reporters that they would appeal against the verdict.
About 91-year-old Azam was indicted on May 13, 2012 with 61 charges -- all of which he denies.
After returning to power in January 2009, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, the daughter of Bangladesh's independence hero Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, established the first tribunal in March 2010, almost 40 years after the 1971 fight for independence from Pakistan to castigate those committed crimes against humanity during the nine-month war.
Since Jan. 21 this year, two tribunals dealing with the war crime cases have delivered verdicts in four cases. One former and two current leaders of Jamaat were sentenced to death while another Jamaat high-up received life imprisonment.
Apart from Jamaat high-ups, two leaders of main opposition Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) are also facing trials. Both BNP and Jamaat have already dismissed the court as a government " show trial" and said it is a domestic set-up without the oversight or involvement of the United Nations.
But the ruling Bangladesh Awami League party denies the accusations of BNP and Jamaat, saying they are creating an anarchy in the name of political programs to foil the ongoing war crimes trial.
Jamaat said Prime Minister Hasina's ruling Bangladesh Awami League AL) party has targeted the party to split the 18-party opposition alliance led by ex-prime minister Khaleda Zia, which has been staging demonstration demanding the restoration of the non-party caretaker system to oversee the next general elections slated for early 2014.
Security has been beefed up across Dhaka, specially at key points of the city as Jamaat, a key ally of the 18-party opposition alliance, enforced dawn-to-dusk hartal in protest against the verdict.
At least three people including two Jamaat men and a ruling AL party leader were reportedly dead and scores of others were injured in hartal violence in different parts of the South Asian country.
The International Crimes Tribunal (ICT)-1 pronounced the verdict in capital Dhaka Monday afternoon, saying Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islmai party's former chief will "die behind bars".
Azam, considered spiritual leader of Jamaat, is alleged to have created and led pro-Pakistan militias which carried out numerous murders and rapes during the nine-month 1971 war of independence against Pakistan.
The three-member panel of the ICT-1 read the summary of the 243- page verdict in the presence of a huge crowd of people, particularly journalists and lawyers amid tightened security measures in and around the tribunal.
The court started its proceeding at 10: 46 a.m. local time with chairman of International Crimes Tribunal-1, Justice ATM Fazle Kabir, reading out a short description of the case in the presence of Azam.
Wheelchair-bound Azam has already denied the charges, arguing that they are politically motivated.
After the verdict, Prosecutor Ziad Al-Mamun tribunal told reporters that "The mastermind of all crimes has been found guilty in all the 61 charges in five categories -- conspiracy, incitement, planning, abetment and failure to prevent murder."
"All the 61 charges against Azam were proved beyond a reasonable doubt," he said.
"Azam deserves death penalty but he was not given death sentence considering his age and sickness,"Al-Mamun quoted the tribunal as saying in the verdict.
According to verdict, for the first two charges he was given 20 years, for the third and fourth 20 years each and for the fourth another 30 years .
Jamaat, allegedly collaborated with the Pakistani forces in 1971 to prevent an independent Bangladesh, says Azam is the victim of a political vendetta.
Defense counselor Saifur Rahman told reporters that they would appeal against the verdict.
About 91-year-old Azam was indicted on May 13, 2012 with 61 charges -- all of which he denies.
After returning to power in January 2009, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, the daughter of Bangladesh's independence hero Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, established the first tribunal in March 2010, almost 40 years after the 1971 fight for independence from Pakistan to castigate those committed crimes against humanity during the nine-month war.
Since Jan. 21 this year, two tribunals dealing with the war crime cases have delivered verdicts in four cases. One former and two current leaders of Jamaat were sentenced to death while another Jamaat high-up received life imprisonment.
Apart from Jamaat high-ups, two leaders of main opposition Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) are also facing trials. Both BNP and Jamaat have already dismissed the court as a government " show trial" and said it is a domestic set-up without the oversight or involvement of the United Nations.
But the ruling Bangladesh Awami League party denies the accusations of BNP and Jamaat, saying they are creating an anarchy in the name of political programs to foil the ongoing war crimes trial.
Jamaat said Prime Minister Hasina's ruling Bangladesh Awami League AL) party has targeted the party to split the 18-party opposition alliance led by ex-prime minister Khaleda Zia, which has been staging demonstration demanding the restoration of the non-party caretaker system to oversee the next general elections slated for early 2014.
Security has been beefed up across Dhaka, specially at key points of the city as Jamaat, a key ally of the 18-party opposition alliance, enforced dawn-to-dusk hartal in protest against the verdict.
At least three people including two Jamaat men and a ruling AL party leader were reportedly dead and scores of others were injured in hartal violence in different parts of the South Asian country.
No comments:
Post a Comment