Today the Tribunal heard matters in the following case:

1. Chief Prosecutor vs. Syed Mohammad Qaisar

This was the second day of a BNP-led-18-party opposition alliance enforced a continuous 84-hour countrywide hartal.  Due to the Hartal, our researcher could not safely travel to the Tribunal to be present in Court.  The following coverage was compiled from direct communication with Court officials, parties to the proceedings, and news coverage of the day’s events.

In ICT-2 today, Prosecutor Rana Das Gupta made brief submissions on the charges pressed by the Prosecution against Syed Mohammad Qaisar. The Prosecution submitted that the Accused had been involved in the killing of a total of 155 people over eleven separate incidents. He was also allegedly connected with two incidents involving rapes and five concerning abduction, looting, arson and other crimes. Counsel submitted that Syed Mohammdar Qaiser had formed the “Qaisar Bahini”, a force that played brutal role in the Brahmanbaria and Hobiganj area. The Qaisar Bahini allegedly comprised approximately 700 to 800 Rajakars. The Prosecutor further alleged that Qaisar was also a member of the Habiganj Peace Committee and the Chairman of Madhabpur Peace Committee under the Hobiganj area of greater Sylhet. He submitted that the involvement of the Accused were discovered in the course of investigation by the Investigation Agency, and will be supported by witness statements and miscellaneous other documentary evidence at trial, the Prosecutor argued.

At the conclusion of Prosecution submissions, the Court fixed 14 November 2013 as the date for passing the Charge Framing Order in the Qaisar case.