Kaiser war crimes verdict on Tuesday

The war crimes tribunal will deliver its verdict on former Muslim League leader Syed Mohammed Kaiser on Tuesday.

Kaiser, a Muslim League leader during the 1971 Liberation War, was later a minister of state in the government of military dictator Hussain Mohammed Ershad.

He has been charged with murder, massacre , rape, extortion, arson and torture in 16 cases filed with the International Crimes Tribunal-2.

Justice Obaidul Hassan , heading ICT-2, fixed the date of Kaiser's verdict on Monday.

The ICT-2 finished hearing out the defence and the prosecution in Kaiser's case in August and kept the judgement pending.

Thereafter, the tribunal cancelled Kaiser's bail and sent him to prison.

Kaiser is the second to be charged with 'crimes against humanity' whose hearings proceeded with the accused out on bail.

This will be the 14th verdict of the tribunal since the start of the war crimes trials.

The trial of Kaiser started on Feb 2 this year following his indictment in 16 cases.

Earlier, the tribunal issued a warrant of arrest for Kaiser on May 15 last year and detained him the same day.

On May 21 he was produced in court and sent to prison .

The tribunal granted him a conditional bail on Aug 4. He denied charges of crimes against humanity during the indictment hearing.

Kaiser’s father, Syed Soiduddin, was elected MLA in the 1962 election from the Sylhet-7 constituency on a Mulsim League ticket. Kaiser himself was defeated, when he contested the 1970 election as an independent candidate in the East Pakistan provincial council.

The investigation report says Kaiser raised a militia in his name - ‘Kaiser Bahini’- with 500 to 600 anti-liberation activists to support the Pakistani army in 1971.

Syed Kaiser guided the Pakistani Army to various villages to attack and abuse Hindus and supporters of Bangladesh’s liberation.

He went into hiding as soon as the country became free and later resurfaced in Bangladesh politics in 1978, after Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman was assassinated along with most of his family in 1975.

He contested as an independent candidate and won the 1979 parliamentary polls from the Sylhet-17 constituency.

He later joined the BNP, when it was founded by the country's first military dictator Ziaur Rahman, and became the president of its Habiganj unit.

He later shifted to Ershad's Jatiya Party and won from the Habiganj-4 constituency in 1988. He became the Minister for State for Agriculture during HM Ershad’s regime.

The charges:

1. Attack on a police post and murder-looting-arson at Kazibarhi village

Syed Md Kaiser and his militia force, 'Kaisar Bahini' attacked a police outpost in Brahmanbarhia Sadr Upazila on the morning of Apr 27, 1971. They then went to the Kazibarhi of Islampur Village and killed Shahjahan Chairman, tortured one Nayeb Ali followed by looting and arson at 15 houses of the village.

2. Looting and arson of houses at Katiara Village

The same day Kaiser and his people flanked by the Pakistan Army killed several people at Habiganj district's Madhabpur Thana in the afternoon. The also set fire to houses in Katiara Village and burnt down a market area with businesses mostly owned by Hindus.


3. Killing of four at Krishnanagar Village

On the night of Apr 27, 1971, Kaiser and his men raided the village at Habiganj's Madhabpur Thana. The 'Kaiser Bahini' men killed Ahid Pathan, Cherag Ali, Jonab Ali and 'Madhu Sweeper' at the village and then looted and set fire to their homes.

4. Murder of 15 people at Madhabpur Bazar

On Apr 28, 1971, Kaiser and his men with the Pakistani forces attacked the Madhabpur Bazar in Habignaj. They opened fire and left 15 people, including Abdus Sattar, Lalu Miah and Barkat Ali, dead. They also looted and set fire to businesses and homes in the area.

5. Murder of seven at a Habignaj warehouse

On Apr 29, 1971, Kaiser and his men attacked a warehouse at Shaistaganj Thana in the district. They confined seven staff of the warehouse and tortured them for a month. On the afternoon of May 29, the seven were taken to bridge nearby and shot dead by the Pakistani army on Kaiser's instructions.

6. Murder of Dr Salehuddin and Hirendra Chnadra Roy

On Apr 29, the two were stopped by Pakistani army forces at the behest of Kaiser at the Puran Bazar area of Shaistaganj Thana. The men were dragged out of their car and tortured for hours before they were shot dead.

7. Arson and looting at Habiganj Town

The Pakistani forces and men of 'Kaiser Bahini' attacked the district town on Apr 30. 45 houses were looted amid panic created by random firing.

8. Rape and torture of workers at a Habiganj tea estate

On May 11, Kaiser led a group of Pakistani troops to a tea garden in Habiganj's Chunarughat Thana and tortured the workers. A Santal tribal woman, Hiramoni was raped. The prosecution accuses Kaiser of abetting the rape.

9. Murder of eight at Habiganj's Lohaid village

Pakistani forces and Kaiser Bahini men attacked the village and picked up Abdul Aziz, Abdul Gafur, Jamiruddin, Azimuddin, Etimunnesa, Nur Ali, Alamchan Bibi and Abdul Ali and charged them with bayonets before shooting them dead.

10. Killing of Shah Firoz Ali at Habiganj army camp

Ali, who was a pro-Liberation supporter, was picked up by collaborators at the behest of Kaiser on Jun 13. He was brought to the Shaistaganj army camp the next day. His son Shah Hossain Ali was captured on Jul 16. He was severely tortured leading to amputation of his leg and released by the end of August. The father died in the army camp in detention.

11. Murder, abduction and torture at three villages

Kaiser took his militia to Habiganj's Nasirnagar on Jun 23 to loot, set fire and abduct people from numerous villages. Golam Rauf Master and his family members were severely tortured and Master was whisked away to Kaiser's house. He was held there for a week and released for ransom. Master died after two weeks due to injuries caused by torture.

12. Rape of Majeda Begum at Madhabpur army camp

In Aug, men of Kaisar Bahini abducted Aftab Mia, his daughter Majeda Begum and his brother Ayub Mia and brought them to the army camp. The prosecution claims Kaiser handed over Begum to the members of the Pakistani army. She was raped for the next 8 to 10 days by the troopers.

13. Murder of three at the Nalua tea garden

On Aug 18, three civilians including Abdus Shahid were abducted and brought to the tea garden on Kaiser's instructions. They were tortured and killed later in the day.

14. Killing of four freedom fighters at a Habiganj village

On Sept 29, freedom fighters Seraj Ali, Akkas Ali, Abdus Sattar and Wahed Ali were picked up from a house at Mojpur village in Madhabpur Thana. They were shot dead later on a bridge over the nearby Sonai River.

15. Murder of Md Nazim Uddin

In October, 1971, Md Nazim Uddin was abducted from his home at Shahjibazar Thana upon Kaiser's instruction. He was taken to the Shahjibazar army camp. Uddin was detained and tortured for 20 days before being murdered.

16. Massacre in 22 villages

On Nov 15, 1971, a group of collaborators led by Kaiser and the Pakistani forces attacked 22 villages at the Nasirnagar Thana in Brahmanbarhia. At least 108 unarmed civilians, who belonged to the Hindu community, were killed. Scores of houses were looted and set on fire.