Close ICT, says Moudud

BNP has expressed no-confidence in the International Crimes Tribunal (ICT), dealing with crimes against humanity during the 1971 Liberation War and demanded that all its proceedings be immediately stopped, reports bdnews24.com. "The fundamental rights of the war crime suspects have been violated at the tribunal. BNP has no confidence in the tribunal," senior party policymaker Moudud Ahmed said at a news conference at the party's central office on Saturday. The former law minister claimed that the tribunal is going to hand down sentences that the ruling powers desire and termed its proceedings 'eyewash'. Moudud demanded that senior BNP leader Salahuddin Quader Chowdhury MP, now behind bars for his alleged involvement in war crimes and crimes against humanity, be immediately released from custody. The government formed the International Crimes Tribunal, lawyers' panel and an investigation committee on Mar 25 last year to try the 1971 war criminals. Jamaat-e-Islami chief Matiur Rahman Nizami, secretary-general Ali Ahsan Mohammad Mojaheed, executive council member Delwar Hossain Sayedee, assistant secretaries-general Mohammad Kamaruzzaman and Abdul Quader Molla, BNP standing committee member Salahuddin Quader Chowdhury and former member of BNP founder Gen Ziaur Rahman's cabinet Abdul Alim were arrested on charges of crimes against humanity.