The International Crimes Tribunal (ICT) on Wednesday gave death penalty to six war criminals, including former Gaibandha lawmaker Abu Saleh Muhammad Abdul Aziz Miah alias Ghoramara Aziz, for committing crimes against humanity during the Liberation War in 1971.
A three-member ICT bench led by Justice Md Shahinur Islam passed the order.
The six death-row convicts are Jamaat leader and former lawmaker Abdul Aziz, Md Ruhul Amin alias Monju, Md Abdul Latif, Abu Muslim Mohammad Ali, Md Nazmul Huda, and Md Abdur Rahim Miah.
Among them, only Abdul Latif is now in jail and the rest are absconding.
The trial of the other suspects took place in absentia as they are absconding.
According to the prosecution, Aziz and Monju formed the local Peace Committee and raised the local Razakar force.
In 1971, Aziz, Latif and Nazmul were active members of Jamaat-e-Islami and Muslim was an active member of Islami Chattra Shangha, then the student front of Jamaat.
The formal charge did not specify political identities of the other duo.
On October 22, after rehearing the closing arguments, the court said that the verdict would be delivered later.
The closing arguments were reheard as the ICT-1 was reconstituted with Justice Md Shahinur Islam as the chairman following death of his predecessor Justice Anwarul Haque.
On June 28, 2016, the suspects were indicted for their alleged involvement with three counts of war crimes.
They were tried for committing murders, abduction, confinement and subjecting villagers to torture, arson attacks and looting houses at different places in Sunderganj.
During the trial, 15 prosecution witnesses were examined. No defence witnesses were produced.