Islamist party leader arrested
A.T.M. Azharul Islam detained on charges of crimes against humanity
ATM Azharul Islam was released on bail last week before being arrested on charges of crimes against humanity (Photo by Shahadat Hossain)
- ucanews.com reporter, Dhaka
- Bangladesh
- August 23, 2012
Police yesterday arrested a leading member of Jamaat-e-Islami, the country’s largest Islamic party, for alleged involvement in crimes against humanity during the 1971 Bangladesh war of independence.
A.T.M. Azharul Islam, the party’s acting secretary general, was arrested at his home in Dhaka on orders from the International Crime Tribunal-1 which is investigating rights abuses during the war.
“He has been charged with crimes against humanity during the liberation war,” said Moshiur Rahman, a police officer at Dhaka’s Ramna police station.
Last year, Islam was arrested and charged with attacking police following a Jamaat rally demanding the release of other detained party leaders. He was only freed on bail last Thursday.
Islam is the 10th person to be arrested on war crimes charges since the tribunal started operating in 2010.
Eight of those held are leaders of the Jamaat party, which at the time opposed Bangladesh’s separation from Pakistan.
The other two people arrested belong to the main opposition Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP), a long-time political ally of Jamaat and the main adversary of the Awami League, the ruling party in an interim government.
Nurjahan Mukta, the tribunal lawyer that filed a case against Islam, said he was president of an Islamist student organization in Rangpur district in the northwest of the country which collaborated with the Pakistani army during the war.
“He has been directly involved in killing, rape, looting and arson against innocent Bengali people,” she said, also alleging that Islam had threatened witnesses not to give accounts of his crimes to investigators.
Another Jaamat leader and a defense barrister for those facing charges in the tribunal, Abdur Razzak, said charges against party leaders were false and politically motivated.
“Jamaat is the victim of political vengeance from the Awami League and a conspiracy to destroy the party,” said Razzak. “But they won’t succeed because they can’t prove charges against our leaders and the foundation of our party is strong.”
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A.T.M. Azharul Islam, the party’s acting secretary general, was arrested at his home in Dhaka on orders from the International Crime Tribunal-1 which is investigating rights abuses during the war.
“He has been charged with crimes against humanity during the liberation war,” said Moshiur Rahman, a police officer at Dhaka’s Ramna police station.
Last year, Islam was arrested and charged with attacking police following a Jamaat rally demanding the release of other detained party leaders. He was only freed on bail last Thursday.
Islam is the 10th person to be arrested on war crimes charges since the tribunal started operating in 2010.
Eight of those held are leaders of the Jamaat party, which at the time opposed Bangladesh’s separation from Pakistan.
The other two people arrested belong to the main opposition Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP), a long-time political ally of Jamaat and the main adversary of the Awami League, the ruling party in an interim government.
Nurjahan Mukta, the tribunal lawyer that filed a case against Islam, said he was president of an Islamist student organization in Rangpur district in the northwest of the country which collaborated with the Pakistani army during the war.
“He has been directly involved in killing, rape, looting and arson against innocent Bengali people,” she said, also alleging that Islam had threatened witnesses not to give accounts of his crimes to investigators.
Another Jaamat leader and a defense barrister for those facing charges in the tribunal, Abdur Razzak, said charges against party leaders were false and politically motivated.
“Jamaat is the victim of political vengeance from the Awami League and a conspiracy to destroy the party,” said Razzak. “But they won’t succeed because they can’t prove charges against our leaders and the foundation of our party is strong.”
Related reports
War crimes tribunal divides country
Islamist party leader arrested for war crimes
Islamists go on Dhaka rampage
