4 days ago
Bangladesh Tribunal Jails Former Awami League Lawmaker in Case
A Bangladesh tribunal ordered former lawmaker Zafar Alam to be kept in jail.
Prosecutors say he led the killings of two opposition workers.
The alleged killings were connected to two separate events involving Delwar Hossain Sayeedi and Salahuddin Ahmed.
Alam was brought before the tribunal on Wednesday.
He had earlier been arrested by police in Dhaka.
The tribunal is treating the case as a crimes against humanity case.
The Awami League says the case is unfair and politically motivated.
The party also says an ordinary murder should not be tried by this tribunal.
The order means Alam faces proceedings, not that he has been found guilty.
Bangladesh’s International Crimes Tribunal ordered former Awami League lawmaker Zafar Alam jailed after formally declaring him arrested.
Prosecutors allege Alam led the killings of two opposition workers in separate incidents linked to Delwar Hossain Sayeedi’s death and Salahuddin Ahmed’s disappearance.
Alam was produced before the tribunal on Wednesday and had been arrested by Dhaka police in Dhanmondi on April 27 last year.
Around 15 to 16 cases, including murder charges, were filed against Alam after the Awami League’s ouster in 2024.
The Awami League condemned the proceedings as politically motivated and questioned whether the tribunal had jurisdiction over an ordinary murder case.
- Who
- Former Awami League lawmaker Zafar Alam is the accused; prosecutors allege he led the killings of two opposition workers.
- What
- The International Crimes Tribunal formally declared Alam arrested and ordered him sent to jail in a crimes against humanity case.
- Where
- The proceedings took place in Dhaka, Bangladesh; the alleged cases involve locations including Chittagong, Cox’s Bazar, Chakaria and Pekua.
- When
- The order was issued after Alam was produced before the tribunal on Wednesday; police arrested him on April 27 last year.
- Why
- Prosecutors allege Alam was responsible for two killings, while the Awami League says the case is politically motivated and outside the tribunal’s proper jurisdiction.
Prosecution and Tribunal Case
Awami League Objection
Nature of the alleged crimes
Prosecution and Tribunal Case
Prosecutors allege that Zafar Alam led the killings of two opposition workers, making the matter relevant to a crimes against humanity case.
Awami League Objection
The Awami League says the case concerns an ordinary murder linked to a local clash and does not meet the legal threshold for crimes against humanity.
Political motivation
Prosecution and Tribunal Case
The authorities proceeded with the case and sent Alam to jail after formally declaring him arrested.
Awami League Objection
The Awami League alleges that Home Minister Salahuddin Ahmed is using the tribunal for political revenge and that Alam is being persecuted without credible evidence.
Key facts
- Accused
- Zafar Alam, a former Awami League lawmaker
- Tribunal
- Bangladesh’s International Crimes Tribunal
- Allegations
- Leadership in the killings of two opposition workers
- Arrest
- Dhaka Metropolitan Police arrested Alam in Dhanmondi on April 27 last year
- Additional cases
- Around 15 to 16 cases were filed against him after the Awami League’s ouster in 2024
- Party response
- The Awami League called the case questionable, unjustified and politically motivated
- Prosecutor
- Md. Mizanul Islam
Quotes
Awami League
Bangladesh’s political party, which condemned the tribunal proceedings against Zafar Alam.
“Home Minister Salahuddin is using the Tribunal as if it were his personal property to pursue political revenge. Senior Awami League leader Zafar Alam is being harassed and subjected to persecution without any clear rationale or credible evidence. Home Minister Salahuddin has failed to learn from history. Stop this harassment and political vengeance immediately. Otherwise, time and history may eventually bring you to the same dock.”
thehansindia.com
“The International Crimes Tribunal was not established to try ordinary murder cases. Under the law, crimes such as murder fall within the Tribunal's jurisdiction as crimes against humanity only when they are committed as part of a widespread or systematic attack directed against a civilian population.”
thehansindia.com
Sources
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