A verdict in the July massacre case against Obaidul Quader, general secretary of the now-banned Awami League, along with six other top Jubo League and Chhatra League leaders, will be announced tomorrow, Tuesday.
The three-member judicial panel of International Crimes Tribunal-2, led by chairman Justice Nazrul Islam Chowdhury, set the date on Monday. The panel’s other two members are Judge Md Manzurul Bashid and Judge Nur Mohammad Shahriar Kabir.
Prosecutors present for the prosecution at the tribunal included Gazi M H Tamim, Faruk Ahammed and other prosecutors.
Apart from Obaidul Quader, the other accused in the case are Awami League joint general secretary A F M Bahauddin Nasim, former information and broadcasting deputy minister Mohammad Ali Arafat, Jubo League president Sheikh Fazle Shams Parosh, general secretary Mainul Hossain Khan Nikhil, Chhatra League president Saddam Hossain, and general secretary Wali Asif Inan. All seven accused are currently fugitives.
Arguments in the case concluded on August 17, after which Tribunal-2 reserved the matter for verdict. The evidence recording phase in the case concluded on August 2, with a total of 29 witnesses, including the investigating officer, testifying for the prosecution.
Tribunal-2 framed charges against the seven accused and ordered the trial to begin on January 22 this year. The same tribunal took cognisance of the prosecution’s formal charges on December 18 last year.
According to the prosecution’s allegations, the accused jointly issued directives, incitement and provocative statements to suppress the July-August movement. They allegedly called on party leaders and activists to take to the streets and mount resistance, and planned violence in multiple meetings. In various places, they are accused of playing a role in armed attacks, harsh crackdowns and controlling the media. Their actions, the prosecution alleges, led to killings, attempted murder and widespread violence across the country, punishable as crimes against humanity.