Decision of charge framing Nov 24

International Crimes Tribunal-1 yesterday fixed November 24 to decide on framing charges against nine war crimes accused from Jessore, including a former BNP and Jamaat-e-Islami lawmaker, for their alleged involvement in crimes committed during the Liberation War in 1971.

The three-member tribunal led by Justice Anwarul Haque fixed the date after the prosecution and defence counsels completed placing submissions in the charge hearing.

The accused are former lawmaker Shakhawat Hossain, Ibrahim Hossain, Sheikh Md Mujibur Rahman, Kazi Ohidul Islam, Aziz Sardar, another Aziz Sardar, Abdul Khaleq Morol, Billal Hossain and Lutfar Morol.

Shakhawat, Tutfar and Billal are in jail while the rest on  the run.

On July 26, the prosecution pressed five charges against 12 persons but the tribunal discharged three and took into cognisance charges against the nine.

They were allegedly involved in killing two persons, raping one and torturing two others in Jessore's Keshabpur in the Bangla month of Ashwin (between mid-September and mid-October), according to the prosecution.

According to the tribunal's investigation agency, Shakhawat was a central committee member of Islami Chhatra Sangha, the then Jamaat's student wing, and a commander of the Pakistani occupation army's auxiliary force, Razakar Bahini, at Chingra Bazar camp while the rest members of the Razakar Bahini.

Golam Kibria, a lawyer representing war crimes accused Muhibur Rahman Boromia, apologised for his conduct on Thursday when he engaged in a heated argument with a judge, after which the three judges had left abruptly. Yesterday, Kibria completed cross examining the eighth prosecution witness in the case against Muhibur, his brother Mujibur Rahman Angur Mia and their cousin Abdur Razzak.