ICT orders ad asking fugitive to appear

International Crimes Tribunal-1 yesterday ordered its registrar's office to publish ads in two national dailies, one Bangla and one English, asking a fugitive war crimes accused of Noakhali to appear within seven days from the publishing date.

Abul Kalam alias AKM Mansur, 67, of Sudharam upazila in Noakhali is one of five accused men from Noakhali who is facing three charges of crimes committed during the 1971 Liberation War.

Abdul Kuddus, 84, Amir Ali, 70, Md Joynal Abedin, 73, and Mohammad Yusuf, 60, are now in jail. Police submitted a report recently showing Mansur "absconding". The three-member tribunal led by Justice Anwarul Haque will pass the next order on March 3.

Meanwhile, defence counsels of Kuddus, Joynal and Yusuf filed bail petitions citing health grounds.

After hearing arguments from a prosecutor and defence counsels, the tribunal fixed January 27 to pass an order.