Deadline extended again for pressing charges

Mon, Aug 1st, 2011 3:52 pm BdST

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Dhaka, Aug 1 (bdnews24.com) — The International Crimes Tribunal (ICT) dealing with 1971 crimes against humanity has extended deadline by three months for the prosecution to complete investigation and press charges against four top Jamaat-e-Islami leaders.

After missing the latest deadline on Monday, the slow-moving prosecution sought more time from the tribunal to press charges against the leaders including Jamaat chief Matiur Rahman Nizami.

The tribunal then fixed Nov 1 for the next hearing when the prosecution will have to press the charges also against Jamaat secretary-general Ali Ahsan Mohammad Mojaheed, assistant secretaries-general Mohammad Kamaruzzaman and Abdul Quader Molla.

All of them are currently in jail, pending trial under an amended act, on charges of committing crimes against humanity in 1971 when Bangladesh was born through a nine-month bloody war with Pakistan.

The leaders had allegedly sided with then West Pakistan and masterminded or backed crimes such as killings, arson and rape. They have denied the allegations and said the government is pushing "politically-motivated" charges against the leaders to wipe out Jamaat.

Extending claims by many independent researchers, the government says it has enough evidence to move ahead and the responsible for the crimes must be punished as it is pledge-bound to do so as per the election manifesto of the ruling alliance led by Awami League.

On Monday, the three-member tribunal headed by justice Nizamul Haque also asked the prosecution to submit the investigation report against BNP leader Salahuddin Quader Chowdhury facing similar charges on Oct 4.

Earlier, the tribunal rejected please by the leaders' counsels who argued that they need to be freed on bail to observe Ramadan and Ehtekaf.

Mojaheed, Kamaruzzaman and Quader Molla were were in court when the order came while Nizami was absent as he was taken to Chittagong on Sunday to be produced before a court in a separate 2004 arms haul case.

Abdul Alim, a minister of Ziaur Rahman's cabinet, and Jamaat leader Delwar Hossain Sayedee were also held for charges of crimes against humanity in 1971. Alim was later released on conditional bail.

Formal charges against Sayedee were submitted on July 11.