Today the Tribunal heard matters in the following case:

1. Chief Prosecutor vs. Ashrafuzzaman Khan & Chowdhury Mueen Uddin

Today Tribunal 2 recorded the testimony of PW-22 in the case against Ashrafuzzaman Khan and Chowdhury Mueen Uddin, both of whom are being tried jointly and in absentia with representations from state-appointed defense counsels Mr. Abdus Shukur Khan and Ms. Salma Hye Tuni.

Delwar Hossain, who is now 70 years old, gave testimony as PW-22. He is an eyewitness, and the only detainee who managed to survive the Rayerbazar massacre. The witness suspects that he was targeted by Al-Badr men after he got into an argument with a non-Bengali director of his company who was also a retired Air Force officer. Delwar described how he was abducted from his house on 14 December 1971, at around 10 am.  He said that six armed men wearing khaki colored clothing, and two others in civil uniform, entered his house while Pakistani army officers waited at a distance. He stated that the two men in civil uniform were addressing each other as Mueen Uddin bhai (brother) and Ashrafuzzaman (brother).  These men took him to Malibagh intersection and blind folded him prior to placing him into a mini-bus. On the way to the building where he was to be confined, the mini-bus picked up many others in a similar fashion.

The witness described how he was detained and tortured in Al-Badr headquarters in Muhammandpur Training Institute, where they had been detained. He testified that a teenage boy named Tarek untied his blindfold, allowing him to see many badly injured people lying down on the floor.  The witness then went on to testify the details of how he personally witnessed the detainees, includings Munir Chowdhury and Mofazzel Haider Chowdhury, being tortured in front of his own eyes. Journalist Selina Parvin was reportedly amongst the injured lying on the floor. She was bayoneted to death at the same killing site in Rayerbazar where all the detained intellectuals had been shot to death after they were all taken to the killing site. Delwar stated that he managed to untie his hand, and started to run towards the river. Of those who attempted escape, he was apparently the only one to survive. The following morning, he was rescued from the river bank by two villagers. The witness showed the Tribunal his injury marks as physical proof of the ordeal.

Defense proceeded with cross-examination of this witness on the same day. It may be mentioned that Delwar Hossain, PW-22, has been referred to by many other witnesses. He also gave statements to various newspapers and media.

After recording the testimony, the case was adjourned until 11 September 2013.