ICT reading out summary verdict on 3 Habiganj ‘war criminals’

A tribunal in Dhaka today started reading out the summary verdict in a case filed against three war criminal suspects from Habiganj on charges of crimes against humanity committed during the 1971 Liberation War.

The accused -- Muhibur Rahman alias Boromian, 65, his younger brother Mujibur Rahman alias Angur Mian, 60, and their cousin Abdur Razzak, 63, of Baniachang upazila of the district – are facing four charges.

Justice Md Shohrowardi, one of the three-member panel of the International Crimes Tribunal-1, started reading out the summary of the 240-page verdict at 10:37am.

Earlier, a prison van carrying them entered the ICT premises around 9:00am. They were produced before the tribunal led by Justice Anwarul Haque around 10:25am.

If convicted, the accused may face the maximum penalty, capital punishment.

The prosecution pressed the charges against the brothers on May 17, 2015. Later, Razzak was implicated. They were indicted on September 29.

The prosecution produced 12 witnesses, including the case's investigation officer, and submitted several documents. Seven witnesses testified for the accused.

The four charges are over the killing of two freedom fighters, rape of two women, confinement and torture of an unarmed civilian, and torching and looting of the house of Maj Gen (retd) MA Rob, the Liberation War's deputy commander-in-chief.