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Published : 11 Aug 2015, 11:30 AM
The International Crimes Tribunal-1 led by Justice Enayetur Rahim started reading out the 133-page summary of the verdict around 11am.
The two were indicted on seven charges, including torture, abduction, loot, murders, and mass killings of unarmed civilians during the Liberation War in 1971 along with Abdul Latif Talukder.
Talukder, 75, died of old age complications at the Dhaka Medical College and Hospital on Jul 27.
Earlier at around 9am, Siraj and Akram were brought to the tribunal from the Dhaka Central Jail and kept at the court’s prison cell.
They were taken to the dock around 10:50am. The three judges of the tribunal entered the courtroom soon after.
Around 11am, Justice Anwarul Haque started reading out the verdict. Other member of the tribunal Justice Jahangir Hossain will also read out a part of it before Justice Enayetur Rahim reads out the sentences.
This will be the 21st verdict since the long-awaited trial of the war crimes suspects began with the tribunal on Mar 25, 2010.
The special tribunal kept the verdict pending after arguments ended on June 23 and in last week, set Aug 11 for its delivery.
The trio’s trial began in November last year. The case’s investigator Helal Uddin and 31 others testified against the Bagerhat men.
The defence produced five witnesses.
A case filed in 2009 accused 12 including Siraj Master of six crimes including the massacre of 42 people, rape and torching of homes at Shankhari Bazar in Bagerhat’s Kachua during the war.
Nimai Chadra Das, son of Jitendra Nath Das who was killed in the massacre, had filed the case at Kachua Police Station.
It was later transferred to the tribunal which issued arrest warrants for the three on Jun 10 and Kachua police arrested Talukder the next day.
Akram Hossain was arrested in Rajshahi on Jun 19 and Siraj Master on Jul 20.
As the war began, the trio joined the ‘Razakars’, the vigilante militia group, to assist the invading Pakistani Army against liberation seekers, according to the prosecution's investigation agency’s report.
They received training from the Pakistani army at Khulna’s Ansar Camp.
From them, they collected weapons and ammunition to carry out murders, mass killings, rape, pillage, and forced conversion of Hindus in different parts of Bagerhat with other Razakars.
Seven charges
Charge 1: On May 13, 1971, Ranjitpur village of Bagerhat was attacked. During the mayhem between 2pm to 6pm, hundreds of houses were looted and set to fire while 40 to 50 unarmed civilians belonging to the Hindu community were murdered.
Charge 2: Around two to three thousand people belonging to the Hindu community gathered at a temple in Bangerhat's Rampal Thana, on way to refugee camps in India. On May 21, 1971, armed men attacked the temple and killed 600 to 700 people.
Charge 3: During a dawn-to-dusk attack on 18 Jun, 1971, at Kandaparha area of, 19 people were confined, tortured and killed.
Charge 4: Around 50 houses were looted and set to fire on Oct 14, 1971, at Chulkatthi area of Bagerhat Sadar Thana. Seven unarmed civilians were murdered then.
Charge 5: Forty-two people were detained, tortured and killed during an attack on Nov 5, 1971, at Shakarikatthi area of Bagerhat's Kachuya Thana. Several houses were looted and set to fire also.
Charge 6: Five people from different villages of Kachuya Sadar Thana were abducted, tortured and then killed on Oct 22, 1971.
Charge 7: Freedom fighter Fazlur Rahman Sikder was detained around 7pm from Teligati area of Bagerhat's Morhelganj Thana on Dec 13, 1971. He was later tortured and killed.
