Nurul Haque Nur, member secretary of Gono Odhikar Parishad, has said that the Awami League government executed some “innocent” leaders of Jamaat-e-Islami on “India’s prescription”. “Jamaat is not legally banned. But it is the Awami League that has executed some innocent leaders of Jamaat, in the name of war crimes trial, prescribed by India,” Nur said. Also read: Nur defends top aide Tarek’s “offensive remarks” on Hindu religious scripture Speaking at a Gono Odhikar Parishad rally in front of the National Press Club on Wednesday, he said, “Jamaat has held a rally in Dhaka for the first time in 10 years. Three ministers of Awami League said it was a political decision by the government.” “I believe Jamaat’s ideology and its politics will not allow it to do anything that benefits the Awami League. But there is no last word when it comes to politics. We do not know Jamaat’s current position. But it is clear from their statements that they will be on the streets,” Nur said. Also read: Jamaat holds first rally after a decade, demands polls under caretaker govt "We need everyone’s support to overthrow this government. So, we are with BNP, Jamaat, Jatiya Party, Charmonai …whoever will be on the streets. We are not in favour of keeping this government in power even for a single week,” he added. Referring to the recent Barishal city corporation election, Nur said, “You have seen a candidate being beaten up and left in a bloodied state. He is a veteran figure, a respected figure among Muslim scholars. We condemn this attack on him.” Also read: Awami League's policy unchanged despite allowing Jamaat rally: Home Minister

International Crimes Tribunal on Tuesday (September 13, 2022) sentenced fugitive criminal Md Khalilur Rahman from Netrakona for his crimes against humanity during the Liberation War of 1971. A three-member tribunal led by Justice Shahinur Islam pronounced the death sentence. Public Prosecutor Rana Dasgupta and Rezia Sultana represented the state during the hearing while state appointed lawyer Gazi MH Tamim appeared for the accused. Also read: 5 get death sentence for raping teenage girl in Khulna PP Rezia Sultana said three of the four accused in this case died during the trial. The tribunal gave death sentence to Khalilur, then commander of Al Badr, in his absence on Tuesday as he has been absconding, said the PP. On January 30, 2017, in a press briefing of the probe agency final report on the accused was published. Also read: 2 sentenced to death in absentia for murder in Gopalganj At first the case had five accused but one of them, Ramzan Ali, died before the trial began. Other three accused that died during the trial were Khalilur’s brother Azizur Rahman, Ashq Ali and Md Shahnewaz, all residents of Noagaon union in Netrakona. Charges of illegal detention, torture, abduction, looting, arson, vandalism, attempted rape, rape, murder and genocide in 1971 were brought against the accused in this case. Read Fugitive death-row war criminal held in city The charge sheet mentioned that 22 people were killed, one was raped, one attempted rape, two of the four abducted being tortured in a camp, 14 or 15 houses being looted and arson at seven houses. Death row convict Khalilur was a member of Islami Chhatra Sangha who joined the Razakar forces during the war. Later, he became commander of Al Badr in Chandigarh union. He was known to be a supporter of Jamaat-e-Islami.

A team of the Anti-Terrorism Unit (ATU), a specialized unit of Bangladesh Police, arrested a fugitive death-row convict of war crimes from Dhaka's Shah Ali area on Sunday. The arrestee is Md Nazrul Islam, 75, son of Nayon Ali Joardar of Noyaltola village in Khulna district. Mohammad Aslam Khan, superintendent of police (Media and Awareness Wing) of the ATU, disclosed it at a press briefing on Monday. Read: Students stage protest against fuel price hike at Nilkhet Tipped off, a special team of ATU conducted a drive at Block-E of Mirpur's Shah Ali area and arrested Nazrul, the officer said. On July 28, 2022, the International Crimes Tribunal of sentenced five people including Nazrul to death for committing crimes against humanity during the Liberation War in 1971. Nazrul was tried in absentia.

President Joe Biden on Wednesday flatly called Russia’s Vladimir Putin a “war criminal” for the unfolding onslaught in Ukraine, where hospitals and maternity wards have been bombed. But declaring someone a war criminal is not as simple as just saying the words. There are set definitions and processes for determining who’s a war criminal and how they should be punished. The White House had been avoiding applying the designation to Putin, saying it requires investigation and an international determination. After Biden used the term, White House press secretary Jen Psaki said the president was “speaking from his heart” and renewed her statements that there is a process for making a formal determination. In popular usage, though, the phrase has a taken on a colloquial meaning as a generic term for someone who’s awful. “ Clearly Putin is a war criminal, but the president is speaking politically on this,” said David Crane, who has worked on war crimes for decades and served as chief prosecutor for the U.N. Special Court for Sierra Leone, which tried former Liberian President Charles Taylor. The investigations into Putin’s actions already have begun. The U.S. and 44 other countries are working together to investigate possible violations and abuses, after the passage of a resolution by the United Nations Human Rights Council to establish a commission of inquiry. There is another probe by the International Criminal Court, an independent body based in the Netherlands.  “We’re at the beginning of the beginning,” said Crane, who now heads the Global Accountability Network, which works with the international court and United Nations, among others. On the day of the invasion, his group set up a task force compiling criminal information for war crimes. He’s also drafting a sample indictment against Putin. He predicted an indictment of Putin could happen within a year. But there is no statute of limitations. Read: India unsure of Russian arms to meet China, Pakistan threats Here’s a look at how this all works: WHO IS A WAR CRIMINAL? The term applies to anyone who violates a set of rules adopted by world leaders known as the law of armed conflict. The rules govern how countries behave in times of war. Those rules have been modified and expanded over the past century, drawn from the Geneva Conventions in the aftermath of World War II and protocols added later. The rules are aimed at protecting people not taking part in fighting and those who can no longer fight, including civilians like doctors and nurses, wounded troops and prisoners of war. Treaties and protocols lay out who can be targeted and with what weapons. Certain weapons are prohibited, including chemical or biological agents. WHAT SPECIFIC CRIMES MAKE SOMEONE A WAR CRIMINAL? The so-called “grave breaches” of the conventions that amount to war crimes include willful killing and extensive destruction and appropriation of property not justified by military necessity. Other war crimes include deliberately targeting civilians, using disproportionate force, using human shields and taking hostages. Read: Russian footholds in Mideast, Africa raise threat to NATO The International Criminal Court also prosecutes crimes against humanity committed in the context of “a widespread or systematic attack directed against any civilian population.” These include murder, extermination, forcible transfer, torture, rape and sexual slavery. The most likely way that Putin could come into the picture as a war criminal is through the widely recognized legal doctrine of command responsibility. If commanders order or even know or are in a position to know about crimes and did nothing to prevent them, they can be held legally responsible. WHAT ARE THE PATHS TO JUSTICE? Generally, there are four paths to investigate and determine war crimes, though each one has limits. One is through the International Criminal Court. A second option would be if the United Nations turns its work on the inquiry commission over to a hybrid international war crimes tribunal to prosecute Putin. A third would be to create a tribunal or court to try Putin by a group of interested or concerned states, such as NATO, the European Union and the U.S. The military tribunals at Nuremberg following World War II against Nazi leaders are an example. Finally, some countries have their own laws for prosecuting war crimes. Germany, for example, is already investigating Putin. The U.S. doesn’t have such a law, but the Justice Department has a special section that focuses on acts including international genocide, torture, recruitment of child soldiers and female genital mutilation. WHERE MIGHT PUTIN BE PUT ON TRIAL? It’s not clear. Russia does not recognize the jurisdiction of the International Criminal Court and would not send any suspects to the court’s headquarters in The Hague, Netherlands. The U.S. does not recognize the authority of the court, either. Putin could be tried in a country chosen by the United Nations or by the consortium of concerned nations. But getting him there would be difficult. HAVE NATIONAL LEADERS BEEN PROSECUTED IN THE PAST? Yes. From the post-World War II tribunals in Nuremberg and Tokyo to more recent ad hoc tribunals, senior leaders have been prosecuted for their actions in countries including Bosnia, Cambodia and Rwanda. Former Yugoslav leader Slobodan Milosevic was put on trial by a U.N. tribunal in The Hague for fomenting bloody conflicts as Yugoslavia crumbled in the early 1990s. He died in his cell before the court could reach a verdict. His Bosnian Serb ally Radovan Karadzic and the Bosnian Serb military leader, Gen. Ratko Mladic, were successfully prosecuted and are both now serving life sentences. Liberia’s Taylor was sentenced to 50 years after being convicted of sponsoring atrocities in neighboring Sierra Leone. Chad’s former dictator Hissene Habre, who died last year, was the first former head of state to be convicted of crimes against humanity by an African court. He was sentenced to life.

An incarcerated war criminal died on Monday while undergoing treatment at Dhaka Medical College Hospital. The deceased was identified as Shah Newaz, 95, a resident of Durgapur upazila in Netrokona. Enamul, a jail guard of Dhaka Central Jail in Keraniganj, said Shah Newaz was imprisoned for his crimes during the liberation war of Bangladesh. Also read: Three Mymensingh war criminals jailed unto death As he fell sick today the jail authority sent Shah Newaz to DMCH where the duty doctors announced his death at 8:50 after conducting some tests. DMCH police outpost’s in charge Inspector Bacchu Mia said the body was sent for an autopsy. According to the investigation agency of the International Crimes Tribunal, which was set up to try the war crimes and crimes against humanity committed during 1971, Shah Newaz alongwith four others others had allegedly killed 22 people, raped a woman and destroyed 15 houses in Komlakanda and Durgapur upazila of the district in 1971. With one of them deceased, four of them were later arrested in 2017 to swtand trial for their crimes.  War criminal Mahbubur Rahman dies at Kashimpur jail The tribunal however did not pass a verdict in the case.  

War criminal Mahbubur Rahman, sentenced to death for crimes against humanity during the Liberation War, died at the Kashimpur High Security Central Jail in Gazipur on Friday morning.

The Appellate Division on Tuesday upheld the death sentence awarded to former Jatiya Party minister Syed Mohammad Qaiser in a case filed for committing crimes against humanity during the  Liberation War in 1971.

Road, Transport and Bridges Minister Obaidul Quader on Saturday said that legal action should be taken against ‘Daily Sangram’ for describing executed war criminal Jamaat-e-Islami leader Abdul Quader Molla as ‘martyr’.

The International Crimes Tribunal (ICT) on Wednesday sentenced war criminal Tipu Sultan to death for crimes against humanity during the Liberation War in 1971.

Dhaka, July 10 (UNB) – The Appellate Division will deliver it verdict on the appeal  filed challenging the death sentence of Jamaat leader ATM Azharul Islam for war crimes.