War crimes tribunal’s punishment for Dr Zafrullah Chowdhury angers BNP leader Hafiz Uddin Ahmed

The punishment of Gonoshasthaya Kendra founder Zafrullah Chowdhury by the International Crimes Tribunal for contempt of court has angered BNP leader M Hafiz Uddin Ahmed.

Speaking at a discussion at the National Press Club on Wednesday, the freedom fighter highlighted the role of Chowdhury in Bangladesh Liberation War in 1971.

“Does a freedom fighter not have the right to criticise a trial which is aimed at the welfare of the freedom fighters and upholding the spirit of the Liberation War? I leave this question before all,” Ahmed said.

“We did not join the war to see the day when they (freedom fighters) will be punished in the liberated country and anti-liberation forces will be awarded,” he said.

Ahmed, a gallantry award wining Freedom Fighter, was a member of the BNP chief Khaleda Zia’s cabinet where two Jamaat-e-Islami leaders, who have been convicted of war crimes by the tribunal, secured berth.

The war crimes tribunal found Chowdhury guilty of contempt of court over his statement expressing concern for British citizen David Bergman after he was convicted.

The ICT-2 led by Justice Obaidul Hassan on Wednesday ordered Chowdhury to stand in the dock for an hour. He has also been fined Tk 5,000, failure to pay which will land him in jail for one month.

Bergman was convicted on Dec 2 last year for ‘creating confusion’ about a sub-judice matter through his ‘irresponsible’ writings in his blogs.

Reports on a statement ‘expressing concern’ over the conviction signed by 50 citizens were published on newspapers, including Daily Prothom Alo on Dec 20.

Twenty-six of the citizens apologised unconditionally to the court and were acquitted from the contempt charges. Rights activist Khushi Kabir had earlier denied being a signatory to the statement.

On Apr 1, the tribunal issued a contempt rule against the remaining 23. After hearing their explanations on May 14, the court kept the verdict pending.

Of them, 22 were cleared of the charges on Wednesday.

The court convicted Chowdhury, as it had earlier let go of him on another contempt charge by issuing a warning.