Tribunal takes cognisance of war crimes charges against former JP MP Shakhawat Hossain, 8 others

The International Crime Tribunal (ICT) has taken cognisance of war crimes charges brought against nine people, including former Jatiya Party MP Shakhawat Hossain.

Staff Correspondentbdnews24.com
Published : 8 Sept 2015, 09:29 AM
Updated : 8 Sept 2015, 09:39 AM
The ICT-1 led by Justice M Enayetur Rahim, however, acquitted three others off the charges brought by the prosecutions on Tuesday.   
The eight others, who will be prosecuted, are Md Billal Hossain Biswas, Md Ibrahim Hossain, Sheikh Md Mojibur Rahman, MA Aziz Sardar, Abdul Aziz Sardar, Kazi Ohidul Islam, Md Lutfur Morhal and Md Abdul Khalek.
JP leader Shakhawat Hossain and Billal Biswas are in jail now.
“The court has set Sep 30 for the next day for hearing and ordered arrest of the seven absconding,” Prosecutor Rezia Sultana told reporters.
She said that the court acquitted three—Md Akram Hossain, Azihar Morhal and Moshiur Rahman—for insufficient prima facie evidence to back the charges.
Of them, Hossain and Morhal are in jail while Rahman is absconding.
The prosecution’s investigation wing started probing against the 12 persons in February 2012. The investigation report was filed to the tribunal in June this year.
Shakhawat Hossain, who is the religious affairs secretary of JP, had been a leader of the Jamaat-e-Islami.
He was elected MP from Jessore-6 from the Jamaat in 1991, but left the party before the term and joined the BNP.
Hossain, who is better known as Maulana Shakhawat, has often switched political parties.
He was even in the LDP and the PDP. But during the 2014 national election, he got JP’s nomination from Jessore-6, but did not win the polls.

The charges

  1. Abduction, confinement, torture and rape of a woman at Keshabpur Upazila’s Boga Village.
  2. Abduction, torture and murder of Chandtulya Gazi and his son Atiyar of Keshabpur Upazila’s Chingra Village.
  3. Abduction and torture of Md Nuruddin Morhal of Keshabpur Upazila’s Chingra Village.
  4. Abduction, torture and murder of Abdul Malek Sardar of Keshabpur Upazila’s Hijaldanga Village.
  5. Abduction, torture and murder of Miron Sheikh of of Keshabpur Upazila’s Mahadebpur Village; arson and looting several houses of the village.