BANGLADESH: NIZAMI TO BE HANGED FOR WAR CRIMES
October 29, 2014: Jamaat-e-Islami Chief Motiur Rahman Nizami was awarded death sentence for committing crimes against humanity during the 1971 Liberation War.
The three-member International Crimes Tribunal 1, led by Justice M Enayetur Rahim, delivered the verdict at 12:20pm on Wednesday (October 29).
Other members of the tribunal include: Justice Jahangir Hossain and Justice Anwarul Haque.
The International Crimes Tribunal-1 pronounced that eight charges including conspiracy, planning, incitement and active participation were proved.
The tribunal 1 awarded war criminal Nizami death penalty on the charges of 2, 4, 6 and 16 while the Jamaat leader was given life sentence on the charges of 1, 3, 7 and 8.
Earlier in the morning, Judges at the International Crimes Tribunal (ICT) 1 began reading out the verdict on Jamaat-e-Islami chief Motiur Rahman Nizami, who was charged for committing crimes against humanity during the Liberation War in 1971.
He was taken to the tribunal from the Dhaka central jail on a special prison van at 9:25am.
Justice Justice Anwarul Haque, a member of ICT-1 stated reading out from the 204-page verdict at 11:07am.
Additional law enforcers were deployed surrounding the area to avert any untoward situation marking the verdict of the Jamaat chief.
The tribunal fixed the date on Tuesday morning for delivering verdict.
On May 28, 2012 Nizami was indicted for committing crimes against humanity including rape, murder, abduction and inciting violence.
The accused allegedly played a key role in setting up Peace Committee and Razakar forces.
Nizami was the chief of Islami Chhatra Sangha, then Jamaatâs student wing, prior to October in 1971.
On June 24, the ICT 1 deferred the long-awaited verdict as the accused fell ill.
The jail authorities wrote to the tribunal about the illness only hours before the verdict.
Nizami, also the former Industries Minister during the BNP-Jamaat term, already faced death sentence in the sensational 10-truck arms case. (Sources: banglamail24.com, 29/10/2014)
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