Alim to spend life in jail for war crimes

Abdul Alim will spend the rest of his life in prison for committing large-scale atrocities with the Razakar in Joypurhat to stifle the freedom struggle there in 1971.

The International Crimes Tribunal-2 delivered the judgment on Wednesday where it found Alim, a former minister of the BNP, guilty of crimes such as murder, genocide and loot.

It said the 83-year old deserved death for the war crimes but handed down the life sentence to him considering his age and disability.

Once a Muslim League leader who went on to serve Ziaur Rahman as a minister, Alim is the second BNP leader to be convicted and the third former minister to be found guilty of crimes committed to stop Bangladesh emerge as a sovereign nation.

ICT-2 Chairman Justice Obaidul Hassan said the prosecution had been able to prove Alim’s involvement beyond a shadow of doubt in nine of the 17 charges.

The manner in which he committed murder and genocide in four incidents was described as ‘utterly heinous’ acts.

Justice Hassan while reading out his verdict said no individual who was physically or mentally unfit should be hanged to die, but Alim’s crimes were so heinous that setting him free would undermine humanity.

That is why he would have to spend the rest of his life between the walls of prison so that he might feel remorse for his acts, the presiding judge added.

Alim’s conviction calls for capital punishment but the judgment takes into account his health and age therefore he must remain in prison until he dies naturally, the court heard.

The other two judges of ICT-2, set up to expedite trials of crimes against humanity during the 1971 Liberation War, Justice Md Mujibur Rahman Mia and Justice Shahinur Islam were present in court to read out the first two parts of the 191-page summary verdict.

The 91-year old Jamaat-e-Islami guru Ghulam Azam, found guilty of overseeing war crimes during 1971, was also sentenced to 90 years instead of death for the same cause – age and health.

Alim was accused under the Collaborators Act brought on by Bangbandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman after Bangladesh’s liberation from Pakistan.

The judgment dwelled on how Alim, being an advocate, had committed a series of murder, genocide, loot, arson and abduction and torture with Pakistani troops during the nine months the War of Independence. The prosecution during the hearings mentioned him as ‘superior responsible’ for his role in these incidents.

The verdict described how the then 42-year old influential leader of the Convention Muslim League that opposed independence had arranged for recruiting and training of Razakar militias as the Joypurhat Mahakuma (sub-division) ’Peace Committee’ Chairman.

It also speaks of how Alim had also taken over the office of one Saonlal Bajla, a jute trader, and turned it into the office of the local Joypurhat Peace Committee. He opened a torture cell there and was also involved with forming the local Razakar unit.

Supporters of Ganajagaran Mancha in Shahbagh and several people waiting outside the court expressed disappointment at Alim being given life sentence instead of death. They demanded that the prosecution appeal to ensure a death sentence.

Prosecution lawyer Tureen Afroz said Alim's age and physical condition had been taken into consideration while delivering the sentence but the convict had slaughtered a 93-year-old and a person with mentally disability.

Attorney General Mahbubey Alam said they will take the next decision after seeing the entire verdict. Lawyer for the defence Ahsanul Haque Hena said they will appeal against his sentence.

This is the eighth verdict against the alleged Pakistani army collaborators for their crimes during the war. The previous judgments convicted four current and two former Jamaat-e-Islami leaders and one BNP parliamentarian.

Brought to Justice

Alim has been found guilty of genocide in charges 2, 8, and 10.

Charge numbers 6, 7, 9, 12, and 14 – pertaining to killing -- have also been established against the former BNP minister.

He was sentenced to life in prison for charge numbers 2, 8, 10, and 14. He got another 20 years in prison for charges 6, 7, 9, and 12 and a further 10 years for the first charge.

All the sentences will merge into a single life imprisonment sentence, the tribunal said.

However, the prosecution failed to prove charge numbers 3, 11, 13, 15, 16, and 17 beyond reasonable doubt, the tribunal said.

Alim was arrested at his Joypurhat residence on Mar 27, 2011. The ICT-1 had granted the 81-year-old leader conditional bail and extended it on several occasions.

In March this year, his case was shifted to ICT-2, which began hearing it on Apr 24. Then he was indicted for 17 war crime charges on June 11 last year.

Alim was the first accused among those charged with war crimes to enjoy bail throughout the trial process that began on July 5 last year. He secured bail on Mar 31 as he was confined to a wheelchair and required the assistance of two persons to move about.

He had stayed in Banani with his son Faisal Alim who is the Managing Director of mobile content provider Wintel Limited.

The prosecution had originally pressed 28 counts of charges against him. It could not produce any witnesses in charges four and five.

Alim’s trial had begun on July 9, 2012 during which 35 witnesses deposed against him. On the other hand, the defence presented three witnesses. They are Alim’s son Sazzad, Md Mamunur Rashid Chowdhury and Md Mozaffar Hossain of Joypurhat.

From Muslim League to BNP

He was born on Nov 1, 1930 in Joypurhat and his father Abdul Wahed owned Islamia Rice Mill on Thana Road. His family migrated to Joypurhat from Hooghly of West Bengal in 1950-51.

He did his post-graduation in law to pursue  a lawyer's career. In 1958, he joined Muslim League and rose through the ranks in four years to become the party's Organising Secretary.

He was Vice-Chairman of Bogra district council of Convention Muslim League during the final stages of the 1971 Liberation War.

He was elected Chairman of Joypurhat Municipality in 1975 and 1977 and won parliamentary election in 1979, 1996 and 2001 on BNP ticket.

He served military strongman and BNP founder General Ziaur Rahman's Cabinet first as the Textiles Minister and then as Communications Minister in 1978.

Eighth Verdict

In its maiden verdict, the war crimes tribunal sentenced former Jamaat leader Abul Kalam Azad alias Bachchu Razakar to death in absentia on Jan 21 this year.

Jamaat's Assistant Secretary General Abdul Quader Molla was given life in prison in the second verdict on February 5. The 'too lenient' lifer for the 'Butcher of Mirpur' gave rise to an unprecedented mass uprising dubbed 'Bangla Spring' at Dhaka's Shahbagh.

The government had amended the law to bring equal rights for appeal for both parties in the case. Following appeals by the prosecution and defence, the Supreme Court’s Appellate Division revised the sentence and handed down death penalty on Sept 17.

Jamaat's number two Delwar Hossain Sayedee was sentenced to death by hanging on Feb 28 in the third verdict which led Jamaat to unleash a string of violence across the country. At least 70 people including policemen died in the skirmishes.

The party's Assistant Secretary General Mohammad Kamaruzzman was also ordered to walk the gallows in the fourth verdict delivered on May 9.

In the fifth verdict, Jamaat's Liberation War-time chief of East Pakistan unit, Ghulam Azam was sentenced to 90-year in prison on July 15. The tribunal said it went for the jail term considering the convict's age and health condition.

On July 17, Jamaat's Assistant Secretary General Ali Ahsan Mohammad Mujaheed was sentenced to death in the sixth verdict.

BNP MP Salauddin Quader was given death penalty on Oct 1 in the seventh verdict.