BANGLADESH

The prosecution has submitted its investigation report against BNP leader Salahuddin Quader Chowdhury for his alleged crimes against humanity during the 1971 liberation war.

The prosecution submitted the report to the International Crimes Tribunal (ICT) on Tuesday and sought one month to formally press charges against him.

Prosecutor Zead Al Malum told journalists, "We have submitted the report and asked for a month for preparations to officially press the charges. The tribunal accepted the plea and set Nov 14 for us to press charges."

On Monday, the agency dealing with the crimes against humanity involving the independence war submitted its report against the BNP leader from Chittagong.

Investigating officer Nurul Islam submitted a 119-page report with around 8,000-page data to the chief prosecutor of the International Crimes Tribunal Gholam Arif Tipu on Monday, in presence of prosecutor Malum.

Salahuddin is the only accused who did not appoint any lawyer in defence. He himself spoke in his defence in court.

On Sunday at a news conference, investigator Nurul Islam said Salahuddin's involvement in 32 specific incidents had been 'proved preliminarily'.

"The crimes he had committed include killing civilians, abduction, rape, torture etc," he said.

"It's proved in primary investigation that he had taken part directly in crimes against humanity [to be charged] under the ICT Rule 3 (2) and genocide under 3 (2) B of the ICT Rule. He had also taken part indirectly in organising and plotting the crimes [to be charged] under the ICT Rule 3 (2) C."

"A list of the murdered people has also been finalised," Nurul said.

Muslim League leader Fazlul Quader Chowdhury's son Salahuddin has been accused of killing Nuton Chandra Singha, the owner of Kundeshwary Aushadhalay (Pharmacy) at Raujan in Chittagong, during in 1971.

He has also been accused of backing genocides during the war.

The investigation agency had appealed to the tribunal on Dec 15 last year to detain Salahuddin, a BNP standing committee member. Within a day of filing the appeal, he had been arrested on the charge of killing one during a general strike by torching a car.

He had been shown arrested for crimes against humanity on Dec 19 last year.

Apart from Salahuddin and Sayedee, Jamaat chief Matiur Rahman Nizami, secretary-general Ali Ahsan Mohammad Mojaheed, assistant secretaries-general Mohammad Kamaruzzaman and Abdul Quader Molla, and former member of BNP founder Ziaur Rahman's cabinet Abdul Alim were arrested for committing crimes against humanity during the Liberation War.

However, Alim was later freed on a conditional bail.