Sayedee asks ICT chief to abstain from proceedings
Jamaat-e-Islami leader Delawar Hossain Sayedee yesterday filed a petition with the International Crimes Tribunal urging its chief to abstain voluntarily from trial proceedings against him, which is scheduled to start on Sunday.
In the prayer he claimed that chairman of the tribunal Justice Nizamul Huq might be biased as he was a member of the secretariat of People's Enquiry Commission, Barrister Abdur Razzaq, chief counsel of Sayedee, told newsmen after submitting the petition on behalf of his client.
The commission, formed in 1993 by National Coordinating Committee for Realisation of Bangladesh Liberation War Ideals and Trial of Bangladesh War Criminals of 1971, had investigated allegations against Sayedee and several other prime war crimes suspects.
Detained Sayedee is now facing trial for committing genocide and crimes against humanity during the 1971 Liberation War.
If the tribunal chief holds the post and conducts the trial, it will not ensure justice for Sayedee, insisted Razzaq.
Receiving the prayer, the tribunal has fixed November 13 for hearing the petition.
The three-member tribunal on October 3 framed 20 specific charges against him. The charges include murdering civilians, collaborating with the Pakistani occupation army to kill and torture unarmed people.
The defence lawyers, though, have no objection about the two other judges of the tribunal -- Justice ATM Fazle Kabir and Justice AKM Zaheer Ahmed, mentioned Razzaq.
The court will decide whether or not all its three judges will hear Sayedee's petition on November 13, tribunal Registrar M Shahinur Islam told reporters at his office in Old High Court building.
He said the petition only states that Justice Nizamul was a member of the People's Enquiry Commission as a lawyer, but there is no supporting document to it.
The government on March 25 last year formed the International Crimes Tribunal and appointed the judges.
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