The war crimes trial proceedings was stalled for at least 15 minutes on Monday as lawyers on both sides exchanged a flurry of words during the cross-examination of a prosecution witness against accused Jamaat-e-Islami ameer Motiur Rahman Nizami.
Drawing attention to the three-member tribunal (ICT-1), headed by Justice ATM Fazle Kabir, defence counsel Mizanul Islam said a designated prosecutor made slanderous remarks over his modus operandi of cross-examination terming it ‘ugliest slang’ ever uttered before the tribunal. Without naming the prosecutor, Mizanul Islam said, ”The disparaging remarks amount to forgetting the name of my father”. “Is it the language of a professional lawyer?” he asked. Reminding the prosecution lawyers, he said, “Don’t underestimate the strength of the defence counsel as we have the guts to retort. We know how to make a tit for tat.”
Tajul Islam, another defence counsel, pleaded for taking a judicial notice about the issue as it has ‘travelled’ to the tribunal. Tajul’s plea did not click rather the tribunal came down heavily on him. Declining Tajul’s statement, the tribunal asked, “How do you know the tribunal heard the prosecution’s remarks on the defence counsel?”
“You (Tajul) always make distorted statements before the electronic media about the proceedings of the tribunal and it has become a nature of your behaviour, the tribunal observed. The tribunal said, “Your statements amounts to tarnishing the image of the tribunal. Many times we don’t take judicial notice about your media statements. Why do you blame the tribunal that we’ve heard the disputed matter as if we keep mum after knowing it?”
Replying to the tribunal, Tajul prayed an unequivocal apology saying it was not intentional. Referring to its earlier actions, the tribunal said, “We’ve always tried to take steps about the matters you raised against the prosecution taking those into judicial notice.
After knowing the ‘ugliest slang’ made by the prosecutor, the tribunal expressed its dissatisfaction terming it ‘not a language of a gentleman.’ “We don’t expect such language from the prosecution side,” said the tribunal.
Reminding the prosecution, the tribunal said, “We always expect your cooperation as an officer of the court in running the trial proceedings. If you’re unable to cooperate, please don’t appear before the tribunal.” The prosecution denied the allegation of using slang before the tribunal. – UNB
