Jamaat leader Subhan sentenced to death

Senior leader of Jamaat-e-Islami Abdus Subhan has been sentenced to death for crimes against humanity during the 1971 Liberation War.

The International Crimes Tribunal-2 (ICT-2) awarded him the penalty on three of nine war crimes charges that include abduction, loot, arson and murder.

Justice Obaidul Hassan, chairman of the three member tribunal pronounced the verdict while the other panel members are Justice Md Mozibur Rahman Miah and Justice Shahinur Rahman.

Earlier in the day, the Jamaat leader was produced at the trial dock at 11am while the War Crimes Tribunal 2 started reading out a summary of 165-page verdict in the case at 11:15am.

Subhan was accused in 1972 by a special tribunal for collaborating with the Pakistani occupation forces and summoned. But he had already fled to Pakistan with former Jamaat chief Ghulam Azam, according to the prosecution.

The incumbent nayeb-e-ameer (vice-president) of Jamaat Subhan, 77, is facing nine charges of crimes against humanity including genocide and murder of unarmed people, mainly Hindus, along with looting and setting houses on fire in Pabna during the 1971 Liberation War.

The charges are based on separate incidents taken place between April 13 and October 30 in which about 450 unarmed people were killed.

Son of Sheikh Naimuddin and Nurani Begum of Tailakundi village of Sujanagar upazila in Pabna, Subhan in 1971 was the founding ameer of Pabna unit Jamaat and Majlish-e-Sura member of the erstwhile United Pakistan Jamaat.

As the war began, Subhan was made general secretary of Pabna unit Peace Committee and later promoted to vice-chairman post of the associated body of the Pakistani Army.

He was elected unopposed a member of the National Assembly of Pakistan in late 1971. He resumed political career after the assassination of Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman in 1975.

In 2001, Subhan became a member of parliament from Pabna 5 constituency when the BNP-Jamaat-led four-party alliance came to power.

Law enforcers arrested Subhan on September 20, 2012. The tribunal 1 indicted the alleged war criminal on December 31, 2013. The case was later shifted to the tribunal 2 for quick disposal.