Today the Tribunal heard matters in the following case:

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

 Tribunal 2 heard an application under section 19(2) of the International Crimes (Tribunals) Act, 1973 in the case against Ashrafuzzaman Khan and Chowdhury Mueen Uddin. The Prosecution sought to exclude certain previously made statements from witnesses who had been unable to come to the tribunal to testify. These included, for example, the testimony of Nusrat Rabbee, who had left for the US, and Syed Mortuza. The Tribunal granted the application in part, on the grounds that accepting statements from witnesses who are alive but unable to come before the Tribunal for cross-examination would be prejudicial to the accused. The Tribunal concluded that such statements would be admissible only from those who subsequently had died. The Court held that the incomplete testimony of Ms. Nusrat Rabbee would be considered as evidence only insofar as it had been recorded during courtroom examination. After disposing of this application, the court recorded the testimony of PW-23 in the same case. Both the examination-in-chief and cross-examination were completed in one day. The testimony of PW-23 supports the allegations in Charge 4 against the two accused, pertaining to the abduction and killing of martyred journalist Nizam Uddin Ahmed. Continue reading →

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 Continue reading →