Defence starts arguments in the case against 8 Jamalpur war criminals

Defence in the trial of crimes against humanity against eight alleged war criminals from Jamalpur, today started placing arguments as the prosecution has finished their part.

The eight accused are: Md Ashraf Hossain, Sharif Hossain, Abdul Mannan, Abdul Bari, Md Harun, Abul Hashem, Shamsul Haque and SM Eusuf Ali.

Defence council advocate Gazi MH Tamim started the arguments after senior prosecutor Barrister Tureen Afroz concluded arguing on charge number one. Yesterday, prosecutor Tapas Kanti Baul placed arguments on four charges out of the total five, which were framed against the accused. 

Justice Anwarul Haque, chairman of the three-member panel of the ICT-1, adjourned the hearing till Sunday as the defence failed to conclude their part of arguments today. 

The ICT-1 on October 26 indicted the accused, framing five charges of crimes against humanity against them. 

According to the prosecution, Ashraf was the president of then Islami Chhatra Sangha (ICS) in Jamalpur and founded Al-Badr in his locality in 1971. The other accused too were involved with ICS and its mother organization Jamaat and subsequently joined Al-Badr, Razakar and Peace Committee, notorious auxiliary forces of Pakistani occupation army. 

They carried out mayhem in Jamalpur sub-division in 1971. In the indictment order, the tribunal charged them for committing abduction, confinement, torture, murder, plundering, arson and other notorious activities.

Source: BSS.