War crimes accused Awami League leader, Mobarak Hossain sent to jail

BANGLADESH NEWS

The International Crimes Tribunal on Tuesday sent a former local Awami League leader, Mobarak Hossain, to jail after accepting charges against him of crimes against humanity during the Liberation War in 1971.
Mobarak, who was the organising secretary of a union unit of Awami League in Akhaura of Brahmanbaria for 16 years, faces five charges for genocide, murder, torture, killing and abduction.
The International Crimes Tribunal-1 came up with the order after prosecution prayed for cancellation of the bail that he secured since July 16 last year.
The tribunal set April 4 for framing charges in this connection.



Mohibur Rahman, a counsel for Mobarak, however prayed for extension of Mobarak’s bail.
The three-member panel also asked the defence to produce witnesses and submit related documents, if there is any, before it on April 4.
Khodeja Begum, whose father was allegedly killed by Mobarak Hossain alias Mobarak Ali, had filed a case against him with Brahmanbaria court in 2009, which was later transferred to Tribunal-1.
The prosecution on February 25 submitted war crimes charges against Mobarak

Badruddoza Chowdhury,Ershad condemn BNP office raid

BANGLADESH NEWS

Two former presidents of the country have condemned Monday’s raid at BNP headquarters at Nayapaltan in the city.

In separate statements issued on Tuesday, Jatiya Party Chairman HM Ershad and Bikalpa Dhara Bangladesh President AQM Badruddoza Chowdhury termed the arrests of top BNP leaders as a threat to democracy.

Ershad called upon the governing Awami League and the main opposition BNP to find a way out of the current political stalemate.

They came up with the observations a day after police arrested more than 200 opposition leaders, including BNP acting secretary general Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir, during a two and a half hours’ raid at the party’s central office.

The law enforcers, however, released Fakhrul and two other top BNP leaders on Tuesday.

Counsels for Jamaat-e-Islami ameer Ghulam Azam,Alim fined for absence

BANGLADESH NEWS

The International Crimes Tribunal-1 fined the defence of Ghulam Azam Tk 1,000 while the Tribunal-2 asked Alim’s lawyer to submit Tk 2,000 to the government treasury as fine.

TRIBUNAL-1

The tribunal led by Justice ATM Fazle Kabir fined Ghulam Azam’s lawyers after a defence lawyer, Mizanur Rahman, submitted a prayer seeking adjournment of today’s hearing citing absence of other defence lawyers.

Mizanur submitted an application of defence counsel Mizanul Islam before the tribunal. In his application, Mizanul said he could not attend the tribunal due to ‘personal difficulties’.

Prosecutor Ziad Al-Malum protested the adjournment prayer terming it as a ‘dilatory practice’.

The court observed that two more defence lawyers — Abdur Razzak and Tajul Islam — also remained absent today.

It fined the defence and asked to deposit the fine money to the government treasury.

The tribunal accepted the adjournment petition and fixed Thursday for hearing the closing argument in the case filed against Ghulam Azam, who is facing five charges — conspiracy, planning, incitement, complicity, torture and murder — for the wartime offences.

The ICT-1 however said the ground for seeking adjournment is not satisfactory.

TRIBUNAL-2

The court fined Alim’s counsel Khalilur Rahman Tk 5,000 as he remained absent at the tribunal without any “valid ground”.

It ordered Khalilur to pay the money to the treasury by March 14 and submit a compliance report to the tribunal.

Today was fixed for the cross examination of Laily Begum, the 12thprosecution witness in the case against Alim but no senior defence counsel was present at the court room.

Huzzatul Islam Khan, a junior defence counsel, told the tribunal that his senior counsel Ahasanul Huq Hena could not appear before tribunal for his illness but he could not say anything about two other senior defence counsels Khalilur Rahman and Munshi Ahsan Kabir.

Huzzatul prayed for adjournment as the senior counsels could not attend the tribunal.

The tribunal adjourned the trial proceedings and asked the junior counsel to reach the tribunal along with his senior counsels by until 2:00pm.

The tribunal passed the order as the senior counsels failed to reach the tribunal when it resumed the proceedings at 2:20pm.

Earlier, the tribunal fined Munshi Ahsan Kabir Tk 2,000 for his absence without any valid ground.

Prosecutor Rana Das Gupta, accused Abdul Alim and a number of journalists were present during the proceedings today.

Bangladesh President Zillur Rahman out of danger: Official

BANGLADESH NEWS

The president’s health condition started improving Monday and has further improved overnight, AKM Nesar Uddin Bhuiyan told Tuesday morning.

Details on Zillur Rahman’s health will be available in the afternoon, he added.

Zillur Rahman was flown to Singapore Sunday night and admitted to Mount Elizabeth Hospital Monday morning.

All necessary medical examinations and treatment of the president are going on under intensive observation of specialised physicians of the hospital.

Zillur’s son and ruling Awami League lawmaker Nazmul Hassan Papan,  who is attending to the president, told BSS by phone that Zillur was suffering from severe lung infection and that doctors began removing water from his lungs as his condition stabilised a little.

Before being taken to Singapore, Zillur was admitted to the Intensive Care Unit of the Combined Military Hospital (CMH) in Dhaka Saturday night with respiratory problems.

Bangabhaban official sources said the 83-year-old president was on respiratory support while boarding the aircraft.

Zillur had been suffering from fever since Saturday morning and taken to CMH after he had developed breathing problems.

Safety is all they want:National Human Rights Commission Chairman Mizanur Rahman boss shocked to see extent of Jamaat terror in Banshkhali

BANGLADESH NEWS

National Human Rights Commission Chairman Mizanur Rahman yesterday said no words can describe the brutality of the February 28 attack on the Banshkhali Hindu community.
“We are shocked to see the mayhem in Banshkhali,” he said at a press conference at Chittagong Press Club yesterday afternoon.
“They burnt down government offices, vehicles, important documents, textbooks including books of Islamic studies and many other public and private properties,” Mizanur Rahman said.
Visiting Banshkhali upazila in Chittagong yesterday morning, he met the victims of the violence unleashed by Jamaat-e-Islami over the death sentence to Delawar Hossain Sayedee in a war crimes case.
“The commission finds no language to describe this brutality,” the NHRC boss said. “It is very pathetic to share the feelings after what I have seen in Banshkhali. It seems the heart of Bangladesh is bleeding.”
Calling upon the government to compensate the victims, he said NHRC would submit a report on Banshkhali mayhem.
Mizanur Rahman also said, “The religious fundamentalists want to divide us and it is high time the politicians resisted them and showed patriotism and stood by the people.”
It is the responsibility of the state to bring back safety and peace among the people, he said, adding that any sort of slackness is unacceptable in this regard.
Nirupa Dewan, member of NHRC, and Shamim Ahmed, director of NHRC, were present, among others, at the press conference.
Earlier, Mizanur Rahman visited Banshkhali Upazila Parishad, courts of senior judicial magistrate and senior assistant judge, and Upazila Krishi Office, office of Upazila fisheries officer, office of upazila nirbahi officer (UNO) and some other places where vandalism and arson were carried out.
Aminul Islam, senior judicial magistrate of Banshkhali, showed the NHRC chief the gutted record room and the custody of the court.
Suchana Acharjee, one of the victims, described to the commission the brutality of the attacks.
“They came and beat up the men, women and children indiscriminately and torched our houses with gunpowder and shouted ‘if you vote for Awami League, you would be beaten and your houses would be torched that way’,” Suchana said as she was in tears.
“We are still reeling from the shock and apprehending further attacks,” she added.
This correspondent also visited the upazila and talked to a number of victims. Rajan Das, owner of Saikat Pharmacy in the municipality of Banshkhali, is one of them.
The shop was burned to ashes along with 28 others hours after Sayedee was convicted by the International Crimes Tribunal-1.
After repeated attempts to choke back emotion, Rajan could share his harrowing experience during the NHRC chief’s visit to the area yesterday morning.
Only the shops of Hindus came under attack, he said. “They looted our shops, ransacked those and finally set those on fire.”
Asked if they had got compensation, he said, “We don’t want compensation. We just want our safety.”

Jhantu Kumar Das, organising secretary of Banshkhali unit of the Hindu, Buddha and Christian Oikya Parishad, said the local BNP lawmaker had not visited them even nine days after the mayhem.
“They have vandalised and torched the temples, houses and shops of the Hindus and the administration has completely failed to give us safety. Despite their massive failure, the upazila nirbahi officer and the officer-in-charge of the police station are still in office.”
He alleged the police and a number of ruling Awami League leaders were cashing in on the situation by harassing innocent people instead of netting the culprits.
“Five cases were filed accusing more than 12,000 people in this connection, but only 14 were arrested and four of them have already been released,” he alleged.
“We called the UNO and the OC in the morning requesting additional forces to ensure our safety. But they did not listen to us. The UNO said nothing would happen.”
Contacted, UNO Sabbir Iqbal said the Jamaat-Shibir men launched synchronised attacks on Satkania, Lohagara and Banshkhali. “It was a hartal day. So, we did not get support from other police stations.”
OC Abdus Sabur said they had tried their best to bring the situation under control with the limited forces they had.
Addressing the press, Mizanur Rahman said if any political party tried to damage public properties resorting to militancy, it could be banned with an executive order.
“What they have done here can be termed a fight against the state,” he said. “By attacking important structures of the state, they attacked its sovereignty of the state.”
The government should not tolerate such activities, added the NHRC chief.

Jhenidah Gopalganj more temples vandalised 2 Hindu houses set on fire

BANGLADESH NEWS

Unidentified criminals destroyed around 30 idols in two temples in Jhenidah and Gopalganj on Monday.
In Jhenidah, vandals broke into the temple at Angita cremation ground in Kaliganj upazila and wrecked 23 Shib idols around midnight, reported our correspondent in the district.
Badal Thakur, president of the temple committee, has demanded exemplary punishment to those involved in the hate crime.
Liakat Hossain, officer-in-charge of Kaliganj Police Station, said they would look into the matter.
Upazila Chairman Anwarul Azim Anar said a thorough investigation would be launched to bring the criminals to book.
AL lawmaker Abdul Mannan, Deputy Commissioner Khaja Hannan, Jhenidah Superintendent of Police Altaf Hossain and Upazila Vice Chairman Tithi Rani Biswas, among others, visited the spot.
In Gopalganj, six idols were destroyed at Kafilabari Durga temple in the district’s Kotalipara upazila the same night, reported a correspondent.
Sources said a devotee, Aloka Madhu, discovered the broken idols when she went to offer prayers around 10:00am.
Khokon Bala, chairman of Ramshil union parishad of Kotalipara, said the temple was vandalised by criminals.
Officer-in-Charge of Kotalipara Police Station Tuta Mia confirmed the incident.
Upazila Nirbahi Officer of Kotalipara Md Mikail said, “We are investigating the matter.”
Earlier, six people including a Jamaat leader were arrested on charges of torching a temple in Lakhirpar area of Kotalipara on March 3.
Meanwhile in Barisal city, two houses of Hindus on New Vatikhana Road were set ablaze by unknown criminals around 2:45am yesterday.
The flames were doused by locals before they could wreak any major damage.
A bottle of kerosene was recovered from the spot, but no complaints were lodged with the police, said Rafiqul Islam, officer-in-charge of Kawnia Police Station.
Touhidul Islam Badsha, councillor of ward-4, and Ashok Sarkar, owners of the houses, said the vandals used sacks, saw-dust and kerosene to set fire.

Chittagong rally cancelled amid threat, ban Homemade bombs exploded near venue, Islamists call off today's hartal

BANGLADESH NEWS

Amid threats from radical Islamists and imposition of Section 144 by police in Chittagong, the Gonojagoron Mancha protesters yesterday postponed their today’s rally in the port city.
Section 144 prohibits gathering of more than five people.
Meanwhile, three cocktails were exploded near the Gonojagoron Mancha before the Chittagong Press Club around 8:25pm, sending a wave of panic in the area. Many people were seen running for shelter at the time, reports our Chittagong correspondent.
Police detained one person from the spot as suspect, said Kusum Dewan, additional deputy commissioner of CMP.
The Gonojagoron Mancha organisers were holding a press conference at the Press Club when the cocktails went off, but nobody was hurt in the incident.
As tension ran high centring over today’s rally and counter-rally called by the Gonojagoron Mancha and radical Islamists at the same venue, the Chittagong Metropolitan Police yesterday imposed Section 144 in all parts of the city from 6:00am till midnight today, modifying their earlier decision to impose it only in parts of the city.
CMP Commissioner Safiqul Islam said the decision was made considering the law and order of the city.
“Respecting the law and considering public security, we have decided to postpone the rally,” said Mafizur Rahman and Sharif Chouhan, two key organisers of the movement in Chittagong, in a statement.
In protest at last night’s cocktail blasts, they will demonstrate at 3:00pm tomorrow.
In a separate statement, Gonojagoron Mancha Spokesperson Imran H Sarker condemned the blasts and said that despite repeated attempts the Jamaat-Shibir had failed to derail “our nonviolent movement”.
The Shahbagh protesters on March 8 announced to hold a grand rally before Chittagong Press Club to press home their six-point demand, including capital punishment to all war criminals and banning Jamaat-Shibir.
On Monday, Hefazate Islam Bangladesh, a Qaumi madrasa-based Islamist organisation, declared a counter-rally at the same venue, protesting the Gonojagoron Mancha rally and the “anti-Islam activities of atheist bloggers.”
Earlier on Saturday, it had called a dawn-to-dusk hartal in Chittagong for today. The Islamist party, however, postponed the hartal around 10:00pm yesterday after the Gonojagoron Mancha rally was postponed.
MA Salam, administrator of Chittagong district administration, on Monday met Shah Ahmed Shafi, ameer of Hefazate Islam, and asked him to call off the hartal.
After the meeting, Salam had told , “He [Ahmed Shafi] told us they also want the trial of war criminals and that they too dislike Jamaat’s politics. Also, they have no conflict with other bloggers except for some five to six ‘atheist’ bloggers.”
On imposition of Section 144, Salam yesterday said: “Who will take the responsibility should any clashes erupt and casualties happen?”
Earlier in the afternoon, the Gonojagoron Mancha organisers at a press conference said their movement was nonviolent and one of “humanity against brutality”.
“Our movement is not against any religion, including Islam”, Mafizur Rahman told the press conference at the Chittagong Press Club.
Asked about Hefazate Islam’s threat of resisting Gonojagoron Mancha Spokesperson Imran H Sarker, Mafizur said: “One Muslim cannot declare another Muslim a non-Muslim.”
A team representing the Shahbagh protesters is due to go to Chittagong tomorrow for a dialogue with Ahmed Shafi, chief of the Hefazate Islam.
Meanwhile, the Islamist party continued its demonstrations against the Shahbagh protesters in the port city yesterday. They brought out a procession in support of today’s hartal (now-postponed) that was called to foil the Gonojagoron Mancha grand rally.
SECTION 144 PROTESTED
Some eminent citizens, however, criticised the decision to impose Section 144.
Prof Anupam Sen, vice-chancellor of Premier University in Chittagong, told this paper that police should have protected the Gonojagoron Mancha from any threats and should have allowed protesters to hold the pre-announced rally.
“All the programmes organised by the Gonojagoron Mancha throughout the country were nonviolent and hence the administration should protect them,” he said.

Cop action draws flak Some top AL leaders also critical; home minister again defends police

BANGLADESH NEWS

Police take the opposition leaders, arrested at the BNP headquarters at Nayapaltan in the capital on Monday, to the Chief Metropolitan Magistrate’s Court around 5:00pm yesterday. Photo: Star

A day after the police raid on the BNP headquarters and blanket arrests of opposition leaders, the ruling Awami League quickly moved to calm the situation by releasing three senior BNP leaders yesterday.

The raid and arrest of more than 150 BNP leaders, including the BNP acting secretary general, drew flak within the AL.

But good sense finally prevailed, as the government released three BNP leaders yesterday without framing any charges against them, said sources in the ruling party.

AL Joint General Secretary Mahbubul Alam Hanif, also special assistant to the prime minister, said the AL did not support the police raid on the political party’s office and the arrest of senior leaders.

BNP leaders Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir, Sadeque Hossain Khoka and Altaf Hossain Chowdhury were freed just an hour-and-a-half after Hanif told the media around 11:00am that the top BNP leaders would be released soon.

However, Home Minister Muhiuddin Khan Alamgir, as on the previous day, defended the police action and raid on the BNP headquarters.

Hanif told reporters, “Though the BNP did it [raid on opposition party office] with the Awami League when it was in power, we don’t support the arrest of senior leaders by raiding a political party office.”

He said his party would have been happy if the law enforcers had not arrested the top leaders.

 Hanif said it seemed that police committed excesses in raiding the BNP headquarters.

Things were against the BNP after it blasted bombs and called hartal. But it all changed with the arrest of the top BNP leaders in the police raid on the party’s headquarters, said the AL leader.

Agriculture Minister Matia Chowdhury explained the government’s position, and said the police had done their job according to the law, while the government did what it should have done.

“As a political party, we have shown modest behaviour towards another political party [BNP] by releasing the top leaders,” said Matia, who is also a member of the AL presidium.

Communications Minister Obaidul Quader said, “We are going through a turbulent time. Both the government and the opposition should be sensible in both speech and action.”

All decisions have to be made judiciously at this crucial point of time, he said.

Released from the DB office, BNP acting secretary general Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir gets on a microbus to go to his party office during the hartal yesterday. Wishing anonymity, another AL leader said the government had released the top leaders, realising that it was not right to detain them in such a way. It thought if the leaders were freed, the main opposition party might cancel its plan to enforce a 48-hour hartal.

A policymaker of the ruling party said it was a wrong decision to detain the top BNP leaders.

“If police did not arrest them, there would be no negative reaction,” the AL leader said, asking not to be named.

He said there could have been miscommunication at the government’s top levels over the arrest of the opposition leaders.

Jubo League Chairman Omar Faroque Chowdhury said, “Since police recovered bombs and ammunition from the BNP office, it was obvious that they would arrest everyone present there.”

“The top leaders were released later, as their involvement in it was not found,” he said.

Preferring anonymity, a lawmaker from a Dhaka constituency said the government must make all decisions in consultation with the party, as there were political dimensions to all its decisions.

Justifying Monday’s police action at the BNP Nayapaltan office, the home minister said law enforcers had every right to enter a place where bombs were stockpiled.

On the wholesale arrest of BNP leaders and activists from the party’s central office, he told reporters that the arrests were made under existing laws and action would also be taken in line with the law.

Referring to the BNP’s threat to call a hartal for March 18 and 19 unless the detained leaders were released by Thursday, the minister said they (the opposition) would not be able to get their detained activists released by issuing threats or ultimatum.

‘CRIMINALS, NOT ACTIVISTS’

Meanwhile, in an interview with the BBC, the home minister said Monday’s incident was telecast live on different televisions and it was seen that the BNP men threw bombs at police and the people. Police then raided the BNP headquarters recovering 12 bombs.

The TV footage proved that they are not political activists; they are criminals, he said and added that the police had jurisdiction to take steps against them, treating them as criminals, militants and terrorists.