Three awarded death in Mymensingh for crimes against humanity

The International Crimes Tribunal (ICT) on Thursday sentenced three people of Gafargaon upazila in Mymensingh to death for their crimes against humanity during the 1971 Liberation War, reports news agency UNB.

The three-member tribunal, led by justice Shahinur Islam, also sentenced five people to 20 years’ imprisonment in the case.

The condemned are Mohamamd Shamsuzzaman alias Abul Kalam, AFM Foyjullah and Abdur Razzak Mandal. Among them, Foyjullah and Razzak tried in absentia.

Those who get 20 years’ jail term are -- Khalilur Rahman, Mohamamd Abdullah, Mohammad Rois Uddin Azadi alias Akkel Ali, Alim Uddin Khan and Sirajul Islam Tota. Of them, Alim Uddin is on the run.

The tribunal also acquitted Abdul Latif from the charges.

On 9 February, the tribunal set 11 February for delivering the judgment in the case.

Prosecutor Sultan Mahmud Simon, Zahid Imam and Taposh Kanti Pal stood for the state while advocate Abdus Sattar Palwan represented the accused.

On 4 March 2018, the International Crimes Tribunal framed charges against 11 suspects of Mymensingh for committing crimes against humanity during the Liberation War.

Five of the 11 accused -- Mohammad Shamsuzzaman alias Abul Kalam, Khalilur Rahman, Mohammad Abdullah, Mohammad Rois Uddin Azadi alias Akkel Ali and Abdul Malek Akand of Khurda Panashail village in Bhaluka upazila -- were behind bars.

Two of them -- Abdul Malek Akand and Nurul Amin Shahjahan (tried in absentia) -- died during the trial proceedings.

They were charged with killing four people, abducting and torturing nine others from Sadhura and Rouha villages of Gafargaon during the Liberation War.

On 20 February 2017, the ICT published the final report of the investigation in the case.