Brahmanbaria war crime suspect held

The defence yesterday told the International Crimes Tribunal-1 that the prosecution has failed to prove all six charges brought against two alleged Razakars of Netrakona Obaidul Haque alias Taher and Ataur Rahman alias Nani.

Defence counsel Abdus Subhan Tarafder also prayed to the tribunal to acquit them of the charges pressed for atrocities committed during the 1971 Liberation War.

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Meanwhile, police yesterday arrested one Emdadul Haque, 78, over his alleged involvement in crimes against humanity in 1971 in Brahmanbaria.

Earlier, praying to the tribunal to issue an arrest warrant, prosecutor Rizia Sultana Chaman told the tribunal that the investigator has so far interrogated 25 and found two specific charges against the war crime suspect.

Chaman said witnesses are being threatened by the  suspect.

According to the prosecution, Emdadul was chief of Peace Committee of Chunta Union during the war.

The three-member tribunal led by Justice Anwarul Haque with member judges Justice Md Shahinur Islam and Justice Md Shohrowardi issued the warrant and fixed February 16 for next hearing.

Yesterday, during the argument, the defence said poor people registered their names in the Razakar Bahini for financial gain and his clients Taher and Nani are from well-off families so they did not need to enlist their names in the auxiliary force to the Pakistani occupation army.

Pointing out the killing of one Badiuzzaman Mukta and five others, Tarafder said one eyewitness who managed to get released could not specify that "Taher and Nani were involved in the killings".

The defence counsel further claimed Nani was a minor during the Liberation War so it was not possible for him to participate in the atrocities.

After the completion of argument, the prosecution sought time for placing arguments on legal points. The tribunal fixed January 10 for hearing further arguments.