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Published : 14 May 2015, 04:43 PM
Justice Obaidul Hassan-led second ICT set the date after hearing the rule against the 23 over contempt on Thursday.
The tribunal issued the rule on Apr 1 asking them why they should not be punished for contempt of court.
After they had responded to the rule, Barrister Asaduzzaman argued on Thursday for 10 of them while Barristers Akhter Imam and Rehnuma Anam for two.
Shirin Haque stood for three of them.
The hearing ended with Prosecutor Turin Afroze’s argument.
The tribunal said in the hearing that the respondents ‘behaved irresponsibly’ by issuing statement expressing concern over Bergman’s conviction.
Bergman was convicted on Dec 2 last year for ‘creating confusion’ about a sub-judice matter through his ‘irresponsible’ blogs.
Daily Prothom Alo published a report about ‘concern expressed by 50 citizens’ on Dec 20, 2014. The New York Times, too, ran an editorial on Dec 23 along similar lines.
The ICT felt the news demeaned Bangladesh’s judiciary and asked the Bangla-language daily to furnish the ‘full copy’ of the statement.
Prothom Alo on Dec 18 submitted the identity and address details of Hana Sams Ahmed, who had mailed the statement on behalf of the 50 citizens.
Rights activist Khushi Kabir disowned her association with the statement soon after its publication.
After lawyer Shahdeen Malik had submitted the identity and address details of the other 49 signatories of the statement on Jan 14, the tribunal asked them to explain their ‘behaviour’.
The tribunal on Feb 23 exempted 14 of them when they apologised unconditionally. Ten others were exempted on Mar 3. The tribunal also exempted two others later.
Those exempted from the rule include Malik himself, SHUJAN-Citizens for Good Governance President M Hafiz Uddin Khan and Secretary Badiul Alam Majumdar, former adviser to the caretaker government Rashida K Chowdhury, Dhaka University teachers Professor Imtiaz Ahmed and Amena Mohsin, Shishu Bikash Kendra’s Dr Naila Zaman Khan and Dr Shahnaz Huda.
The 23 respondents of the rule include Gonoshasthaya Kendra trustee Zafrullah Chowdhury, Jahangirnagar University economics Professor Anu Mohammad, women rights activist Shirin Haq, anthropology researcher Rehnuma Ahmed, photographer Shahidul Alam, Dhaka University teacher CR Abrar, cultural activist Lubna Mariam, rights activist Muktasree Chakma Sathi and ‘Nari Grantha Prabartana’ Executive Director Farida Akter.
The others are journalist and writer Afsan Chowdhury, Australian National University researcher Beena D Costa, writers Shabnam Nadia and Mahmudur Rahman, filmmaker Nasrin Siraj Anee, ‘Alal O Dulal’ blog’s editor Tibro Ali, anthropologist Delwar Hossain, Masud Khan, lawyer Ziaur Rahman, Jarina Nahar kabir, Ali Ahmmed Ziauddin, singer Anusheh Anadil, rights activist Hana Shams Ahmed and cultural activist Lisa Gazi.
