Prosecution 'happy' with Mobarak verdict

The prosecution has welcomed the death sentence given to former Razakar commander from Brahmanbaria Md Mobarak Hossain.

A former ‘Rokon’ of the Jamaat-e-Islami, Hossain later changed sides to join the Awami League. The ruling party, however, expelled the local leader from Akhaura in 2011.

The International Crimes Tribunal-1 in its verdict announced around Monday noon found him guilty of two among the five war crimes charges against him.

“We’re satisfied that he was found guilty of two charges. We’ve been able to prove that he was a Razakar,” said prosecutor Sahidur Rahman.

About the other three charges he was acquitted of, he said: “We will not call it a failure. We will know why he was acquitted of those once we get the full verdict.”

Hossain was handed the death penalty for the killing of 33 unarmed civilians on the west bank of Ganga Sagar Dighi at Akhaurha’s Tanmandayl village on Aug 22, 1971.

Razakars and Pakistani soldiers gunned down the villagers from Tanmandayl and Jangail and threw their bodies into waist-deep ditches they were made to dig before being killed.

He got life term for the abduction and murder of Abdul Khaleque of Satian Village for helping freedom fighters.

The Razakar commander shot him dead at Bakhail Ghat on the west bank of Titas River on the night of Nov 11, 1971.