Mixed emotions in court room

Court room witnessed mixed emotions after the International Crimes Tribunal-1 handed down 90-year-jail term to Jamaat-e-Islami supremo Ghulam Azam on Monday finding him guilty of crimes against humanity in 1971 War of Independence.

One of the war criminal's sons was seen smiling, while a member of the prosecution team was crying.

The Jamaat guru was found guilty of all charges – conspiracy, planning, incitement, complicity (abetment) and murder – brought against him.

But the International Crimes Tribunal-1 stopped short of giving a death penalty considering his age and physical conditions.

His son Abdullah Aman Azmi, who was forced retired from the armed forces, was seen smiling soon after the verdict.

He rushed, all smiling, to his father sitting in the dock at the south-western corner of the makeshift court and was heard saying: “All is well. The court did not give death penalty”.

When judges were reading out their judgement, Azmi was seen listening attentively.

However, a lawyer of the prosecution team, Barrister Turin Afroz was seen filled with tears as the court did not deliver the verdict she expected.

The prosecution demanded death penalty for Azam’s crimes.

In her reaction to journalists, Afroz lamented in tears: “We did the crime of prosecuting him after 40 years?”