Tribunal orders ads for six Gaibandha fugitives

The International Crimes Tribunal-1 yesterday ordered its registrar's office to publish ads in two national dailies, one Bangla and one English, asking six fugitive war crimes accused of Gaibandha, including a former Jamaat-e-Islami lawmaker, to appear before it within two weeks from the publication date.

The order came after Prosecutor Syed Sayedul Haque Sumon said police could not arrest them. On March 20, the prosecution pressed three charges against the six of crimes during the Liberation War.

The accused are Abu Saleh Md Abdul Aziz Mia, 65, a former Jamaat lawmaker; Ruhul Amin alias Manju, 61; Abdul Latif, 61; Abu Muslim Md Ali, 59; Najmul Huda, 60, and Abdur Rahim Mia, 62, of Sundarganj upazila in the district.

The three charges are looting and killing of one Hindu man of Moujamali village in Gaibandha Sadar upazila, killing of one Chhatra League leader, and killing of 13 chairmen and members of five union councils in Sundarganj upazila.

SHARIATPUR CASE

The tribunal yesterday fixed May 2 to decide whether to frame charges against two war crimes accused of Shariatpur.

The three-member tribunal led by Justice Anwarul Haque fixed the date after both the prosecution and the defence placed their submissions on the charges.

The accused, Sulaiman Mollah, 84, and Edris Ali Sarder alias Gazi Edris, 67, of Shariatpur sadar upazila, are facing four charges related to killing, mass killing, rape, looting, arson and forced deportation. Sulaiman is now in jail and Edris on the run.

In his submission, Prosecutor Hrishikesh Saha said the charges had necessary elements to indict them, while defence counsel Gazi MH Tamim filed a discharge petition, saying the charges were not specific and the accused were not involved in any such crime.

The prosecution on November 16 last year pressed four charges against the duo.

Sulaiman was a Muslim League leader and joined Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam to contest the 1970's election, only to be defeated and return to the Muslim League. In 1971, he formed the Peace Committee and Razakar Bahini to assist the Pakistani occupation army, according to the investigators.

Edris was a leader of Islami Chhatra Sangha, then student wing of Jamaat-e-Islami, and joined the Razakar Bahini when the war started.