Publish adverts for surrender of six fugitive war crime suspects of Jessore

The International Crimes Tribunal-1 yesterday ordered the authorities concerned to publish an advertisement in two national dailies asking six fugitive war crimes accused from  Jessore's Keshabpur upazila to appear before the court.

The three-member tribunal led by Justice Anwarul Haque passed the order as police failed to arrest the six alleged Razakars and submitted a report showing them "absconding" recently.

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The six are Ibrahim Hossain, Sheikh Md Mujibur Rahman, Kazi Ohidul Islam, Aziz Sardar, Aziz Sardar (2) and Abdul Khaleq Morol.

The tribunal ordered its registrar's office to publish an advertisement in one Bangla and one English dailies, asking the accused to appear before the court within seven days from the date of its publication.

It fixed November 3 for passing the next order in this regard.

On July 27, the prosecution pressed five charges against the six fugitives and six others, including former BNP and Jamaat-e-Islami lawmaker Shakhawat Hossain.

However, the tribunal on September 8 accepted charges against nine including Shakhawat, and discharged three -- Moshiar Rahman, Ajihar Morol, and Akram Hossain.

Of the total nine, Shakhawat, Lutfar Morol, and Billal Hossain are now in jail.

Meanwhile, the tribunal yesterday appointed Abdus Shukur Khan a state counsel to defend Lutfar Morol, who was arrested on Sunday, and asked him to inform the court about Lutfar's health by November 3.

The move came after Lutfar's family informed the tribunal that he had been paralysed for the last four and a half months and could not talk.

Meanwhile, the prosecution yesterday completed their submission, and requested the tribunal to frame five charges against eight Jamalpur "Al-Badr men" to initiate the trial.

Prosecutors Tureen Afroz and Tapos Kanti Baul placed both factual and legal submissions, while Kutub Uddin Ahmed, state-appointed defence counsel for three fugitives, also placed his submission before the tribunal adjourned the proceeding until October 7.

On April 20, the prosecution pressed five charges against the "Al-Badr men" for their alleged involvement in crimes committed in Jamalpur during the 1971 Liberation War.

Of the eight, Ashraf Hossain, Prof Sharif Ahammed, Abdul Mannan, Abdul Bari, Harun, and Abul Hashem are on the run, while Shamsul Haque and AKM Yusuf Ali are in detention.