WAR CRIMES
Yusuf indicted for genocide, murder
Jamaat leader and the alleged founder of the infamous Razakar Bahini in 1971 AKM Yusuf was handed 13-count indictments Thursday in the International Crimes
Tribunal-2 for charges involving 1971 crimes against humanity.
Yusuf faces seven charges of genocide, one charge of looting and arson attacks on Hindu houses and five charges of abduction, torture in confinement and murder in Khulna region, during the Liberation War.
In the dock, Yusuf, 87, pleaded not guilty.
The presiding judge, Justice Obaidul Hassan, issued the indictment order in the presence of Justice Md Mozibur Rahman Miah and judge Md Shahinur Islam.
Yusuf faces superior responsibility in the 1971 crimes against humanity.
Yusuf became the 13th accused to face trial on war
crimes charges in independent Bangladesh.
The ICT, better known as war crimes tribunal, set September 5 to begin Yusuf’s formal trial with the prosecution making its opening statement detailing the charges against him.
On the first day the tribunal would also begin examination of prosecution witnesses against the accused.
The tribunal directed Yusuf’s lawyers to submit a list of defence witnesses, if any, and the documents they intend to rely upon, by September 5.
Yusuf comes from Rajoir in Sarankhola under Bagerhat district.
Yusuf’s case, initially in the ICT-1 was transferred to the ICT-2 on July 1.
The war crimes accused was arrested at his Dhanmondi residence in the capital on May 12.
After reading out the charges to Yusuf, the tribunal asked him whether he would plead guilty or not.
He pleaded not guilty.
‘Respected court, I want to say that I was involved in none of the genocides, murders, arson attacks, incidences of converting Hindus to Islam, abduction, torture in confinement or any other crime in 1971,’ Yusuf pleaded.
Yusuf faces the first charge for looting and setting fire to 400 shops and 20 to 22 houses at Morelganj Bazaar on May 17, 1971.
He faces the second to eighth charge respectively for committing genocide by killing 50 to 60 Hindus at Ranjitpur in Bagerhat on May 13, 1971, looting the house of Radheshyam at Morelganj Bazaar and killing four members of his family on May 19, 1971, for killing 600 to 700 Hindus at Dakra Kali temple at Rampal in Bagerhat on May 21, 1971, confining, looting 42 houses of Hindus and killing seven Hindus at Chulkathi in Bagerhat on October 14, 1971, killing 14 Hindus at Vasha bazaar under Kachua in Bagerhat on October 15, 1971, killing 40 Hindus at Shakharikathi in Kachua on November 5 and 6, 1971 and for forcibly converting about 200 Hindus to Islam at Shakharikathi in Kachua in Bagerhat in mid-July of 1971 and killing 40 of them on November 5, 1971.
Yusuf faces ninth to thirteenth charges respectively for the murder of freedom fighter Abu Bakar Siddique at Morelganj in Bagerhat on May 13, 1971, killing three freedom fighters at Rayenda Bazaar in Sarankhola in Bagerhat on June 7, 1971, killing freedom fighters – Basharat and Jainal Fakir at Tafalbari under Sarankhola on June 9, 1971, killing liberation campaigner Dr Majid at Morelganj Bazaar in Bagerhat on July 26, 1971 and killing liberation campaigner Abdus Salam at Rayenda in Bagerhat on July 29, 1971.
Yusuf had joined Jamiat-e-Talabi-e-Arabia and subsequently joined Jamaat in 1952.
He was elected East Pakistan Jamaat deputy amir in 1971.
Yusuf was the minister of revenue, public works, irrigation and power in the erstwhile East Pakistan provincial government during the Liberation War in 1971.
He became Khulna regional Peace Committee chairman and founded armed Razakar Bahini, as an auxiliary force of the marauding Pakistani army, with 96 Jamaat and anti-liberation elements at the Ansar camp in Khulna.
On April 28, the prosecution submitted the formal charge against Yusuf.
The tribunal took the charges into cognizance on May 12.
-With New Age input
