The International Crimes Tribunal-1 on Wednesday formally closed summing–up arguments from both sides in the trial of the 1971 war crimes including genocide, allegedly perpetrated by detained BNP MP Salauddin Quader Chowdhury and kept the verdict pending for any day.Declaring the summing–up arguments closed, ICT chairman Justice ATM Fazle Kabir, flanked by two other tribunal members Justice Jahangir Hossain and Justice Anwarul Haque, pronounced a Latin legal term, saying, “we’re keeping the case as a CAV.” CAV (curia advisari vult) means the court reserves time for delivering judgment after hearing lawyers’ submissions. The prosecution side today (Wednesday), rebutting the defence law point arguments, demanded death sentence to Salauddin Quader Chowdhury for committing crimes against humanity during the 1971 Liberation War as they have been “able to prove” beyond reasonable doubt the 17 charges, leaving out the other six charges without any explanations. Emerging from the tribunal, designated prosecutor Zead Al Malum faced the reporters’ queries over the dropping of the other six charges against the accused. Asked whether it’s the failure on the part of the prosecution to prove the remaining six charges or inability to bring the prosecution witnesses before the tribunal for testifying against the accused, prosecutor Malum said: “We dropped the (six) charges due to time constraint.” The defence counsel earlier concluded summing-up arguments exhausting seven working days and sought acquittal of their client, claiming that the prosecution had miserably failed to prove the charges brought against Salauddin Quader, terming those frivolous and concocted and claiming that the accused was in Karachi when the crimes against humanity had been committed during the Bangladesh’s Liberation War against Pakistan occupation forces. Dr Tureen Afroz and advocate Sultan Mahmud Simon also appeared for the prosecution while advocate Ahsanul Huq Hena, advocate Salma Hye and Barrister Fakhrul Islam stood for Salauddin Quader. On April 4 last year, the tribunal indicted Salauddin Quader for his alleged involvement in crimes against humanity during the 1971 Liberation War on 23 counts under different provisions of section 3 (2) of the International Crimes (Tribunals) Act 1973. The charges include abduction and murdering civilians, collaborating with the Pakistani occupation army to kill and torture unarmed people, genocide, looting of valuables and torching of houses and other properties, persecuting people on religious and political grounds, and committing atrocities on the Hindus in Chittagong district. According to the charges, Salauddin Quader, also a former minister during General HM Ershad’s military rule, was involved in the killing of more than 200 people, including that of Nutan Chandra Singh, founder of Kundeshwari Oushadhalaya, of Gahira in Rauzan of Chittagong. Police produced accused Salauddin Quader in the dock amid tight security before the tribunal began its proceedings today. (Sources: UNB)
