| Dhaka, Oct 27 (bdnews24.com) – The fallout from Jamaat-e-Islami secretary general Ali Ahsan Mohammad Mujahid's denial of the existence of anti-liberation force and war criminal continued Saturday with a call for the government to try 1971 war criminals in special tribunals.
Talking to bdnews24.com acting president of the Ekatturer Ghatak Dalal Nirmul Committee and freedom fighter Shahriar Kabir said: "If the government wants it can start trying war criminals by forming special tribunals in line with provisions that already exist in the Bangladesh constitution."
Kabir cited Article 47 (3) of the constitution and added that military tribunals could also be employed to bring war criminals to justice with no need for any new laws to be passed in parliament.
Mujahid made the highly controversial remarks Thursday after a meeting between Jamaat-e-Islami and the Election Commission on electoral reforms at the commission's office.
Mujahid claimed there was no anti-liberation force in the country nor was there any war criminal.
"Some 191 members of the Pakistan army were identified as war criminals; the Awami League government later pardoned them. There is no anti-liberation force in the country now," added Mujahid.
Families of liberation martyrs and civil society representatives expressed their outrage at the Jamaat-e-Islami secretary general's claim.
However, law adviser Mainul Hossain has yet to comment on the public reaction to the furor.
Kabir, whose two brothers were martyred in the 1971 war, cited the trial of war criminals in Germany and Japan after the Second World War.
Speaking on behalf of the Ekatturer Ghatak Dalal Nirmul Committee, which lobbies for trial of war criminals in court, Kabir said: "Recently two countries have tried war criminals of their respective countries in military tribunals. So it must also be possible in Bangladesh."
"Those who say there are no war criminals in the country are actually denying that the liberation war happened. In this case they should be tried on charges of sedition."
"About 37,000 war criminals were arrested, and their trials were initiated on charges of war crimes under the 1972 Anti-Collaborator Act."
"Later, in 1973, at least 26,000 individuals were released as the allegations against them were not proved. The trial processes of the remaining 11,000 are still going on."
"Different courts in the country handed down sentences to about 500 war criminals following their successful trials."
"However, after the killing of Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman on August 15, 1975, a military government took power and annulled the Anti-Collaboration Act. War criminals then appealed to the High Court and were subsequently released," said Kabir.
Prof AAMS Arefin Siddique, a former president of the Dhaka University Teachers Association, said: "It's absolutely ridiculous that Jamaat-e-Islami is denying its involvement in war crimes 36 years after our independence."
"There are many documents proving their involvement. Many news articles on this issue were published in the Jamaat's mouthpiece Dainik Sangram at the time."
"The present government is carrying out many reforms. The trial of war criminals is a basic reform. They must now be tried," added Siddique.
Prof Muhammad Zafar Iqbal from Shahjalal University said: "I ask why Jamaat-e-Islami chose this time to deny their war crimes. Why did they not make these comments during the tenure of the previous governments?'
Iqbal, whose father was killed during the independence war, added: "I am astonished at their audacity. Their place is in jail."
Lawyer Barrister Shafique Ahmed said war criminals could be tried under the laws and pointed out that those who had been involved in murder, rape and arson were not covered by the general amnesty.
"Those who were pardoned had no specific allegations against them. The war criminals have not been tried because previous governments were not sincere about their trial," said Ahmed.
"If the incumbent government takes sincere steps against those with specific allegations against them the trials can start."
"There is no time bar for these criminal offences. There is no obstacle to trying them under common law as well as the Anti-collaboration Act," added Ahmed.
Dr Shushanto Kumar Das from Shahjalal University said: "Ali Ahsan Mujahid's statement is not only false, it is cheating everyone in the country. Every religion teaches that lying is a sin. It is clear to all that he lied."
After the Election Commission meeting, the Jamaat secretary general had replied to a query on his organisation's role in the 1971 war by saying: "You dig into that and evaluate."
Documents relating to the Liberation War show certain groups collaborated with the Pakistani occupation army.
They were known as the Peace Committee, Razakar, Al Badr and Al Shams forces. The present central office of the Jamaat-e-Islami, at Baro Mogh Bazar, was the Peace Committee's main office.
Al Badr and Al Shams were formed with activists from the Jamaat's student front, the Islami Chhatra Shanga. Most allegations of war crimes revolve round these two forces.
During the war, Jamaat's present Ameer Motiur Rahman Nizami was the commander of the Al-Badr force's all Pakistan committee.
During a speech in the Muslim Institute hall, Chittagong on Aug 2, 1971, Nizami said: "As Muslims failed to resolve their problems through politics, Allah is protecting His dear land through the army."
Nizami's speech was published in the Aug 5, 1971 issue of Jamaat's mouthpiece Dainik Sangram.
Different reports published in Dainik Sangram during the war show that Jamaat's present secretary general, Ali Ahsan Mohammad Mujahid, was then the chief of Al-Badr force's East Pakistan branch.
Al-Badr was formed in greater Mymensingh under the supervision of the party's senior assistant secretary general Muhammad Qamaruzzman during the war.
On Aug 16, 1971 he was reported as the main organiser of the Al-Badr force in Mymensingh region.
Souece:http://www.bdnews24.com/details.php?cid=2&id=26398 |
