Dhaka, Oct 31 — War crimes investigators have recommended arresting former Jamaat-e-Islami chief Ghulam Azam and four top leaders in the final reports.
Chief coordinator of the International Crimes Tribunal investigation unit, Abdul Hannan Khan said since the alleged crimes were committed 40 years, the investigators had collected all kinds of documents available from those times, besides witness testimonies.
"There are 40 witnesses in the 360-page report on Ghulam Azam and over 400 documents."
Speaking to journalists at the office of the investigation agency on Monday, he said the four Jamaat-e-Islami leaders are its chief Matiur Rahman Nizami, secretary general Ali Ahsan Mohammad Mojaheed, assistant secretaries general Mohammad Kamaruzzaman and Abdul Kadar Mollah.
Hannan Khan said he did not want to be questioned by the nation. "They are looking towards us. So we did not ask for more time."
The prosecution is expected to submit the investigation reports to the tribunal and ask for time to prepare formal charges.
He said the investigators had recommended necessary measures to arrest Ghulam Azam.
Hannan said there were separate investigation reports on each of the four Jamaat leaders who were charged with murder, rape, arson and plunder.
There were 40 witnesses in a 411-page report on Nizami, 45 witnesses in a 366-page report on Mojaheed, 37 testified in the 327-page report on Kamaruzzaman and another 25 in a 385-page report on Kadar Mollah.
Hannan drew an analogy from what a chief prosecutor of the Nuremberg Trials had said. Robert H Jackson, a Supreme Court judge of the United States, had apparently told the judges that it was not that Nazi enemies were being brought in to testify against them. The statements from their friends were good enough.
He said the situation is quite similar here too. The Jamaat mouthpiece, the daily Sangram, is good enough to testify against them. Hannan also said that their writings would also testify against the Jamaat leaders.
Regarding Ghulam Azam, the investigation coordinator said he is the top leader and he had damaged the country in two ways. Firstly by leading the infamous, 'Peace Committees' and secondly by collaborating with the Pakistani Army.
According to Hannan, the agency had completed investigations against seven out of a list of 16. "But the investigation will go on during the trial too."
Investigator Matiur Rahman said there was convincing evidence against Ghulam Azam illustrating his guilt. "He led the Peace Committee and was also the chief of Jamaat-e-Islami in [1971]. He gave all the orders."
Investigation against the four Jamaat leaders began on Jul 21, 2010. They were shown arrested on Aug 2.
From:bdnews24.com
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