Judgement on Mujaheed on way

The trial of Jamaat-e-Islami leader Ali Ahsan Mohammad Mujaheed, on charges of crimes against humanity during the 1971 Liberation War, ended at the International Crimes Tribunal-2 on Wednesday.

Staff Correspondentbdnews24.com
Published : 5 June 2013, 01:15 AM
Updated : 5 June 2013, 06:48 AM
The second war crimes tribunal of Bangladesh wrapped up the proceedings after closing arguments but did not announce a date for the verdict.
It issued a CAV (curia advisari vult), a Latin term meaning that the court requires further deliberations, only after a judgement can be awarded.
Justice Obaidul Hassan-led ICT-2 issued the CAV after defence and prosecution finished their final arguments.
Earlier on Tuesday, defence lawyer Abdur Razzaq ended his arguments. Prosecutor Turin Afroz ended the prosecution’s argument on Wednesday.
Preosecutor Mokhlesur Rahman Badal told bdnews24.com they were hoping to have 34 accusations in the seven charges against Mujahid proved. “We hope he will be given capital punishment.”
The tribunal on Jun 21 indicted the Jamaat leader for committing crimes against humanity during the 1971 Liberation War which includes murder, genocide, rape, arson and loot.
There were seven charges against this Jamaat leader who is alleged to have led the party's student activists in 1971 to form the anti-liberation vigilante group Al Badr. Along with Razakars, Al Shams and their social front the Peace Committee, these vigilante groups are charged with committing widespread atrocities in Bangladesh tantamount to war crimes.
Mujaheed was arrested in June 2010, and later charges against him were taken into cognisance by the ICT-1 on Jan 26.
Then the case was transferred to ICT-2 on a prosecution petition. Mujahid was indicted on Jun 21 last year on seven charges there.
The arguments of this case began on May 6 and 17 witnesses testified against Mujahid, while there was just one witness in his support — his son Mabrur.
According to the prosecution, Mujaheed was the second-in-command of the vigilante Al-Badr militia, a notorious band of collaborators held responsible for a large number of atrocities and crimes against humanity.
The International Crimes Tribunals have delivered four verdicts in the past – all of whom were Jamaat leaders.
In its first, absconding Abul Kalam Azad, aka Bachchu Razakar, was sentenced to death.
Then, Jamaat Assistant Secretary General Abdul Quader Molla was awarded life imprisonment.
The third verdict ended in death penalty for Jamaat number two Delwar Hossain Sayedee.
The fourth also pronounced death by hanging for Jamaat Assistant Secretary General Mohammad Kamaruzzamanon May 9.
Jamaat guru Ghulam Azam’s trial is also pending verdict.