Dr Zafrullah gets unconditional mercy

The International Crimes Tribunal (ICT)-2 gave unconditional mercy to Gonoshasthaya Kendra founder Dr Zafrullah Chowdhury for contempt of court charge brought against him for his derogatory remarks about the tribunal.

The tribunal also warned Dr Zafrullah against any such comments further.

A three-member bench of the ICT-2, headed by Justice Obaidul Hasan, passed the order, with which the case has been disposed.

Dr Zafrullah is a freedom fighter from whom the nation and the country expect many things. He has shown an arbitrary gesture in the name of freedom of speech: one can make comments about some judgement but not about the judges, said the order.

Barrister Khan Mohammad Shamim Aziz and Morshed Ahmed Khan stood for the petitioners while Advocate Abdul Baset Mozumdar for Zafrullah.

Earlier on August 9, the Gonoshasthaya Kendra founder offered unconditional apology to the war crimes tribunal for his remarks about three judges.

The tribunal fixed August 30 for the order after hearing on the matter on August 10.

Later on August 30 the tribunal set today (September 1) for passing the order.

Earlier, on June 10, the ICT-2 found Dr Zafruallah Chowdhury guilty of contempt of court for criticising the punishment of British journalist David Bergman and punished him keeping him standing in the court for an hour and fined him Tk 5,000.

While talking to reporters after emerging from the court on that day, the Gonoshasthaya Kendra founder described the punishment as the proof of mental imbalance of the three tribunal judges.

Observing that keeping an accused standing in the dock while delivering the verdict ‘impoliteness’, he had said, “There can’t be justice where judges can’t tolerate any criticism. It’s totally meaningless to keep any accused standing in the dock when the verdict is read out. This is prehistoric, medieval.”

Describing Zafarullah’s remarks tantamount to the contempt of court, Monoronjon Ghoshal said a freedom fighter like Zafarullah cannot make such comments against the tribunal.

On June 18, the International Crimes Tribunal-2 issued the warrant for the arrest of Dr Zafrullah Chowdhury as he failed to pay a fine of Tk 5,000 by June 17 as per the tribunal’s pervious order.

Later on June 21, the tribunal withdrew the warrant as he submitted the Supreme Court order withholding the fine.

On January 14, the ICT-2 issued a contempt notice against 49 people who had expressed concern through a statement published on daily Prothom Alo over the tribunal’s judgment to punish British citizen and journalist David Bergman of contempt of court.

Based on their explanations, the tribunal on two past dates exonerated 25 from the allegation of contempt of court.

The ICT-2 on April 1 drew contempt proceedings against the 23 noted citizens.

Bergman, special reports` editor of daily New Age, got the punishment for committing contempt of court on December 2, 2014, for his criticism of the trial process on his personal blog and thus demeaning the court.