Charges against Mollah read out
The prosecution, for the second time, read out before the International Crimes Tribunal (ICT)-2 yesterday the formal charges over the alleged atrocities committed by Abdul Quader Mollah.
The prosecution will continue its arguments supporting the charges today.
The tribunal also fixed today to hold hearing on two prosecutions' petitions seeking permission to submit six additional witnesses in the case.
The case proceedings against the Jamaat-e-Islami assistant secretary general, alongside that of two other cases, were transferred to the newly formed ICT-2 from ICT-1 on April 16 for quick disposal.
The prosecution read out the formal charges during the charge framing hearing against Mollah before ICT-1 on March 7.
On December 18 last year, the prosecution submitted seven specific charges of crimes against humanity against Mollah before ICT-1, which took the charges into cognisance on December 28.
On January 17, the prosecution prayed to include an additional charge against Mollah but ICT-1 decided to keep the charge on record and said it would consider it at the time of charge framing.
In the supplementary charge, Prosecutor Mohammad Ali alleged that Pakistani army soldiers and Biharis, on Mollah's instructions, killed six members of a family on the evening of March 26, 1971.
On the other charges, the prosecutor said the Pakistan army, in collaboration with Mollah and his accomplices, killed over 344 pro-liberation people at Alubdi village in Mirpur on April 24, 1971.
He also stated that Mollah was responsible for killing Khandker Abu Taleb at Mirpur Bus Stand on March 29 and poet Meherunnesa of Mirpur and a student named Pallab of Mirpur Bangla College on April 5 in 1971.
However, the prosecution yesterday stated that among the seven charges, the third and fourth were placed not for charge framing but to bring it to the tribunal's notice, as the specific dates, times and witnesses in support of the charges could not be collected.
The three-member tribunal, headed by Justice ATM Fazle Kabir with members Justice Obaidul Hasan and Judge M Shahinur Islam, asked the prosecution to submit a petition to correct some mistakes on times and facts it had found in the formal charges.
For all latest news, follow The Daily Star's Google News channel.
Comments