War Crimes Trial
3 cases transferred to ICT-2
The International Crimes Tribunal-1 yesterday transferred three cases of crimes against humanity to the second tribunal, formed in March, as “much time” would be taken for it to dispose of the eight cases it is currently handling.
On April 11, an amendment to International Crimes (Tribunals) Act 1973 was made through an ordinance so that cases could be transferred from one tribunal to another.
The three-member tribunal-1 with its Chairman Justice Md Nizmul Huq made the transfer in response to three applications from the prosecution.
The applications prayed for the transfer for the quick disposal of the cases.
The International Crimes Tribunal-2 will now deal with the cases against Jamaat-e-Islami leaders Abdul Quader Mollah and Muhammad Kamaruzzaman and BNP leader Abdul Alim, who are facing charges of crimes against humanity.
It was dealing with the sole case of Maulana Abul Kalam Azad over the same charges committed during the 1971 Liberation War.
The tribunal-2, set up to speed up the disposal of cases filed in connection with war crimes, would resume the proceedings from where the tribunal-1 had left off, the prosecution sources said.
A defence counsel for the Jamaat leaders, Tajul Islam, yesterday told the tribunal that the transfer would open possibilities for “many anomalies”.
He asked what would happen if the prosecution decides to transfer the cases back to the original tribunal.
The new provisions also mentions nothing about the defence's role and does not give it any power in the matter, he added.
Yesterday, the tribunal-1 was scheduled to hear the defence's arguments against the charges brought against Quader Mollah and Kamaruzzaman, assistant secretary-generals of Jamaat-e-Islami.
However, it decided not to take up the two cases due to the transfer.
The prosecution submitted seven counts of crimes against humanity against Quader Mollah and eight counts against Kamaruzzaman.
The case against Alim, formal charges against whom were taken into cognisance, would also resume at the tribunal-2 with the prosecution placing the charges.
The tribunal-1 took the charges against Alim into cognisance on March 27 and directed the prosecution to place the charges on April 24.
Alim is facing 74 counts of crimes against humanity.
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