WAR CRIMES: Siraj to die, Akram gets imprisonment till death

The International Crimes Tribunal-1 on Tuesday handed down death sentence to Sirajul Haque alias Siraj Master and awarded imprisonment till death to Khan Akram Hossain of Bagerhat for crimes against humanity they had committed during the country’s war of independence in 1971.
The three-member tribunal pronounced the judgement against the duo in a crowded courtroom in the capital’s old High Court building amid tight security.
The presiding judge, Justice M Enayetur Rahim, declared the verdict around 12:25pm in presence of Siraj and Akram. Two other judges – Justice Jahangir Hossain and Justice Anwarul Haque – also attended the tribunal.
Both the convicts were produced before the tribunal around 10:30am.
Siraj received death sentence for each of the five charges proved against him while Akram was given imprisonment till his death for a charge of committing abduction and murder of freedom fighter Fazlur Rahman at Teligati Bazar under Morrelganj police station on December 13, 1971.
The charges proved against Siraj include genocide and murder at Ranjitpur village under Bagerhat Sadar police station on May 13, 1971 and at Dakara Kali temple under Rampal police station on May 21, 1971; murder, abduction, confinement and torture in three villages under Bagerhat Sadar police station on June 18, 1971, in four other villages under the same police station on October 14, 1971, and at Shakhari Tati Bazar under Kachua police station on November 5, 1971.
The duo was exonerated from a charge of abduction and murder at Char Tengrakhali village under Kachua police station on October 22, 1971.
This was the 21st verdict in as many war crimes cases.
For the ICT-1 it was the 10th verdict.
The ICT-1 on August 5 announced that it would deliver its verdict today while dropping the case against the third accused Abdul Latif Talukdar after he died at Dhaka Medical College and Hospital on July 28.
On June 23, on completion of the trial the tribunal said that the verdict would be delivered later and set no schedules.
In 1971, Siraj was deputy commander of the Razakar militia in the then Bagerhat sub-division, Akram was commander of Daibagyahati Razakar camp at Morrelganj, Bagerhat and Latif was a member of the Razakar force, according to the prosecution.
They were indicted on seven charges of crimes against humanity on November 5, 2014.
During the trial, 32 prosecution witnesses testified against the accused while five witnesses gave evidence in favour of Akram and Latif. None testified for Siraj.

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