Last PW testifies against Sayedee
The International Crimes Tribunal-1 yesterday finished recording the testimony of the 28th and last prosecution witness against Jamaat leader Delawar Hossain Sayedee over his alleged involvement in the crimes against humanity during the Liberation War of 1971.
Mohammad Helal Uddin, the witness and also the investigation officer who probed the allegations against the Jamaat leader, yesterday gave a record of witnesses who gave statements against Sayedee, and some documents he had collected during the investigation.
Sayedee's defence is scheduled to cross-examine the prosecution witness today.
The investigation officer, who took the dock for the ninth day yesterday, faced frequent interruptions from Sayedee's defence team, which kept insisting that the proceedings be adjourned, as all key defence counsels were absent because of hartal.
After the two-member tribunal refused to adjourn the session, the Jamaat Nayeb-e-Ameer sought permission to say something and then proceeded to read out a written statement before the court.
In the statement, Sayedee said he did not expect the tribunal to continue its proceedings yesterday with the countrywide strike.
He said "state power" and "falsehood" had combined against him, and what was happening in the name of his trial had made him “dumbfounded, stunned and astounded".
The Jamaat leader said he had lost interest in the court proceedings and now spent his time in court reading from the holy Quran.
Saydee said he was a victim of “reckless abuse of state power” and “aggressive falsehood”, and he wanted to have faith in the tribunal's accountability to hold a fair trial.
A copy of the written statement was handed over to the two-member tribunal.
Justice Md Nizamul Huq, the tribunal chairman, then passed an order rejecting the prayer for adjournment. The tribunal then proceeded to record the witness' deposition for the ninth day.
However, the defence, which consisted of five junior colleagues of the key lawyers, kept insisting that the proceedings be adjourned.
The tribunal chairman assured the junior lawyers that if any legal points came up in the deposition, it would be kept pending for the senior counsels.
Abu Bakr Siddique, a junior colleague of a defence counsel, told the court that the witness statement was with the senior lawyers and they did not have any copies, and therefore those who were present in court made little difference.
After much insistence, the tribunal decided to adjourn the proceedings against Sayedee until today after the witness finished his deposition.
The tribunal also adjourned three other agendas scheduled for the day till today. The cases included the defence's arguments against indictment of Jamaat chief Matiur Rahman Nizami and the party's secretary general Ali Ahsan Mohammad Mujaheed.
It also fixed today to deliver an order in response to two petitions filed by BNP lawmaker Salauddin Quader Chowdhury.
Four Jamaat-e-Islami leaders and BNP's SQ Chowdhury are facing charges of crimes against humanity at the tribunal-1, which is the first of two courts formed to deal with such crimes of 1971.
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