Nizami's offences impliedly admitted: SC

The Appellate Division of the Supreme Court in its full judgement on the review plea of condemned war criminal Motiur Rahman Nizami observed that his involvement and complicity in the offences of crimes against humanity have been impliedly admitted, reports the BSS.

 

"...the petitioner's involvement and complicity in the perpetration of offences of crimes against humanity and genocide have been impliedly admitted by the accused. More so, in view of the submission of the learned counsel to commute the sentence, the petitioner cannot dispute his involvement in those offences," the apex court said in its verdict.

 

Earlier on May 9, the Appellate Division released its full verdict after the judges concerned signed it. It was taken to the International Crimes Tribunal (ICT) after that.

 

Binning Nizami's counsel Khandaker Mahbub Hossain's argument that Pakistani troops were involved in the killings of intellectuals and they should be held liable for that, the Supreme Court said, "Some others also might have any involvement in the conspiracy of killing of intellectuals, but that does not exonerate the appellant from his criminal liability in killing the intellectuals which has been proved before the tribunal by sufficient evidence."

 

The court also said, "In this case it has been proved beyond all reasonable doubt by sufficient evidence that Al-Badr Bahini was formed with the members of Islami Chhatra Shangha of which this appellant was the president for a long period of five years. The evidence adduced by the prosecution and the facts and circumstances revealed therefore have proved sufficiently that this appellant also had effective control over the members of Al-Badr Bahini."

 

"In this case sufficient evidence and facts and circumstances have come before the tribunal which has proved sufficiently that this appellant was a leader of Al-Badr Bahini and he had control on the members of Al-Badr Bahini and he had complicity also in the killing of intellectuals by the Al-Badr Bahini."

 

"All these crimes were extremely cruel and horrendous in nature. Not only the near and dear ones of the victims of these crimes were shocked but also the whole society was terribly shocked by the commission of these crimes. The whole society has been waiting for the proper punishment of the perpetrators of these crimes for a long period."

 

"The commission of these crimes - even the slightest complicity in these most cruel, gruesome and barbarous crimes warrants death sentence only. There is no mitigating circumstance to reduce the death sentences..." the order added. The order also said that in this case, the appellant has been found to have committed a series of crimes of extremely cruel and inhuman nature during the period of Liberation War.