Tribunal finds Nizami guilty of executing intellectuals

The International Crimes Tribunal-1 has found Jamaat-e-Islami chief Motiur Rahman Nizami to be criminally responsible for execution of intellectuals and conspiracy to commit war crimes.

Charge 3 states the head of both Islami Chhatra Sangha and vigilante group Al-Badr regularly visited the Physical Training centre at Dhaka's Mohammadpur. The centre was turned into a torture and execution cell by the Pakistan Army.

It said Nizami was complicit in the torture, murder and rape committed there and also for the trainings given to collaborators who went on to commit crimes against humanity.

Charge 16 said Nizami headed “Gestapo-like attacks” largely around Dec 14, 1971 to eliminate the top Bengali professionals and intellectuals just days before Bangladesh won its independence on Dec 16.

The tribunal began reading out the 204-page verdict after 11am.

Presiding judge Justice M Enayetur Rahim began with preliminary remarks before handing over to Justice Anwarul Haque to read through the introduction. He was followed by Justice Jahangir Hossain, who read the observations of the court.

Without referring to almost one year’s delay in delivering the verdict, Justice Rahim said the tribunal never compromised or struck an ‘understanding’.

“Whatever we do, we do by the law and constitution.”

He said the tribunal could not reply to the public comments and rumours that have been percolating for long about the delay in verdict.

Justice Rahim said the judges were driven by three factors — ‘conscience, law and constitution’. “We have no orders or directives from elsewhere.”

“We cannot respond to every remark or rumour about the tribunal. We sit here mutely and those making these comments should remember that.”

The Ameer-e-Jamaat was brought to the courtroom around 11am. The three judges arrived soon after and Justice Rahim set off the proceedings.

bdnews24.com's Kamal Hossain Talukder reported that Nizami had reached the ICT premises around 9:19am.

A prison van carrying him left the Dhaka Central Jail at 9:08am, said Chawkbazaar Police Station OC Azizur Rahman.

The war crimes accused was brought to Dhaka from Gazipur's Kahsimpur Central Jail Tuesday night.

Legal Affairs Correspondent Suliman Niloy said Nizami sat forlorn in the court’s lockup cell.

With his trademark Jinnah cap, clad in a white kurta and brown vest over it, Nizami looked about blankly in a sharp contrast to the powerful minister he used to be.

Law enforcers are on a strict vigil to thwart any kind of untoward incidents over the verdict.

Additional RAB and police personnel have been deployed in and around the tribunal, situated at the old High Court premises.

Everyone including members of the press has to go through a search by law enforces before entering the tribunal.

Breaking away from its usual trend, the Jamaat-e-Islami has not called for a shutdown on Wednesday, which so far been the case for each verdict day of top Jamaat leaders charged with war crimes.

It, however, called countrywide shutdowns has been announced for Thursday, Sunday and Monday.

State Minister for Home Asaduzzaman Khan Kamal told reporters on Wednesday that they braced for heightened security measures across Bangladesh and all necessary action will be taken to contain the situation.