Khokon Razakar to die for war crimes

The International Crimes Tribunal-1 condemned Thursday fugitive BNP leader Zahid Hossain alias Khokon Razakar, also a mayor of Nagarkanda municipality, Faridpur, to death for crimes against humanity, including genocide, during the Liberation War in 1971, reports UNB.

Keeping the verdict pending for seven months, tribunal chairman Justice M Enayetur Rahim, flanked by two other members - Justice Jahangir Hossain and Justice Anwarul Haque -- pronounced the verdict at 12:00 noon in a crowded courtroom amid tight security in and around the century-old High Court Building.

"The convict will be hanged by neck until he is dead," said Justice Rahim, merging 40 years' rigorous imprisonment for other four counts of war crimes charges into the capital punishment.

"The sentences and convictions were unanimous," said Justice Rahim.

The 109-page judgment was read out by the tribunal judges in phases for an hour that began at 11:00 am.

The tribunal awarded Khokon the capital punishment each on six counts of charges of crimes against humanity like murder, abduction, torture, rape, torching houses and temples, loot, forced conversion to Muslims from Hindus and deportation.

The tribunal also sentenced the fugitive local BNP leader to different terms of rigorous imprisonment on four other almost similar war crimes charges. It, however, acquitted the incumbent mayor of Nagarkanda municipality, Faridpur, of only one charge of crimes against humanity as the prosecution failed to prove the charge beyond reasonable doubt.

With the day's pronouncement of judgment, the two ICTs have so far delivered 12 judgments since their formation in March 2010 and 2012 respectively.

Among the war crimes cases, seven Jamaat-e-Islami leaders Ghulam Azam, Motiur Rahman Nizami, Delwar Hossain Sayedee, Ali Ahsan Muhammad Mujahid, Abdul Quader Mollah, M Kamaruzzaman and Mir Quasem Ali, one expelled Jamaat-e-Islami leader Abul Kalam Azad alias Bachchu Razakar and two Jamaat's Al Badr operators Ashrafuzzaman Khan and Chowdhury Mueen Uddin and three BNP leaders Abdul Alim and Salauddin Quader Chowdhury and Khokon were punished.