The International Crimes Tribunal will deliver its verdict any day against nine people, including former BNP leader and Jamaat MP Maulana Shakhawat Hossain, in the cases for crimes against humanity committed during the War of Liberation in 1971.Hearing the law-point arguments from both the prosecution and the defence lawyers, the three-member ICT, headed by its chairman Justice M Anwarul Haque, passed the order in presence of two accused –- Shakhawat Hossain and Billal Hossain.Among them, six are fugitives. They are Ibrahim Hossain, Sheikh Mohammad Mujibur Rahman, M Abdul Aziz Sardar, MA Aziz, kazi Ohidul, and Abdul khalek Morol.
Another accused, Lutfar Morol, died in jail in 2015.Advocate Abdus Sattar Palwan and Abdus Sukkur khan stood for the accused while Jihad Al Malum represented the state.On September 8, 2015, the International Crimes Tribunal took the charges against nine people, including Shakhawat Hossain, in the cases.The tribunal also acquitted three accused — Ojihar Morol, Akram Hossain and Moshiur Rahman — from the charges as no specific charge was brought against them, said defence counsel Abdus Sattar.Earlier on July 26, the prosecution pressed five counts of charges against Shakhawat Hossain and 11 others for their alleged involvement in crimes against humanity during the Liberation War.On November 29, 2014, police arrested Maulana Sakhawat Hossain from the city’s Uttarkhan area for his alleged involvement in the crimes against humanity during the Liberation War.There are a number of war crimes allegations against Sakhawat, including that of murder and mass killing.A war crimes investigation agency started investigation into the crimes in April 2012.Shakhawat was a central committee member of the then Islami Chhatra Sangha (now Islami Chhatra Shibir) in 1971. He was the in-charge of Hisladanga Razakar camp in Keshabpur.Shakhawat was elected MP on Jamaat ticket from Keshabpur constituency in 1991 while on BNP ticket in the February 15 election in 1996.Jatiya Party picked him for the January-5 election. However, his candidature was cancelled over the war crimes charges.
source:UNB
