Two war criminals get death penalty

The International Crimes Tribunal (ICT)-1 today sentenced two war criminals to death for committing crimes against humanity in 1971.

The death awardees are Liakat Ali, former chairman of Morakori union parishad under Lakhai upazila in Habiganj, and Aminul Islam alias Razab Ali of Astogram upazila in Kishoreganj. During the War of Liberation, the duo acted as Razakar and Al-Badr commanders respectively.

According to BSS reports, A three-member ICT-1 bench headed by Justice Md. Shahinur Islam passed the order as the seven charges of crimes against humanity including genocide were proved against Liakat and Aminul beyond any reasonable doubt.

The prosecution expressed satisfaction over the judgement.

The tribunal yesterday set today to pronounce judgement in crimes against humanity case against the duo.

The ICT-1 on August 16 kept the date of the verdict on CAV (curia advisory vault, a Latin legal term meaning the court awaits verdict) as the hearing of the case concluded on that day.

The tribunal on May 18, 2016, issued arrest warrant against them and on November 1, 2016, framed seven specific charges of crimes against humanity against them.

Earlier on May 18, 2016, the tribunal took the charges pressed by the prosecution against the duo, into cognizance.

The accused carried out mayhem in 1971 along with their associates in Lakhai under Habiganj, Nasirnagar under Brahmanbaria and Astogram under Kishoreganj.

The tribunal tried them in absentia as the law enforcers are yet to arrest the duo.

It is the 35th judgement from the two tribunals, formed to try the people those committed crimes against humanity in 1971. The ICT-2, which was constituted on March 22, 2012, however, kept non-functional since September 15, 2015.