Appellate Division Chamber Court has rejected the bail applications of four convicts from Mymensingh who were sentenced to life imprisonment for crimes against humanity committed during the 1971 Liberation War.
Advocate SM Shahjahan, who argued for the convicts, stated that the Chamber Court rejected the bail applications and fixed 17 November for hearing the case before the regular bench of the Appellate Division.
He added that four separate appeals had been filed against the tribunal judgment, seeking full acquittal for Khandakar Golam Sabbir Ahmed, Md Fakhruzzaman, Md Abdus Sattar, and Khandakar Golam Rabbani.
The court has fixed 17 November for hearing their appeals before a regular bench of the Appellate Division. The order was passed on Wednesday by Chamber Court judge Justice Md Rezaul Haque following a hearing on the bail prayers.
Presenting the arguments for acquittal, Advocate Shahjahan noted that the prosecution’s sole witness in the case was a minor at the time of giving testimony, which has been cited as a key ground in the appeal.
He stated that although their primary prayer was for bail, the court set a date for a full appeal hearing instead of granting bail.
Tribunal judgment background
On 20 February 2023, a three-member bench of the International Crimes Tribunal-2, led by Justice Md Shahinur Islam, sentenced five accused from Mymensingh to life imprisonment for crimes against humanity during the 1971 war.
The five convicts in that tribunal verdict were Md Hormuz Ali, Md Abdus Sattar, Khandakar Golam Rabbani, Golam Sabbir Ahmed, and Md Fakhruzzaman.
During the tribunal proceedings, Prosecutors Sultan Mahmud, Rezia Sultana Chamon, and Tapas Kanti Baul conducted the case for the prosecution. The defence side was represented by Advocates Abdus Sobhan Tarafder, Mizanul Islam, and Gazi MH Tamim.
