Habiganj’s Shafi gets death penalty for war crimes

The International Crimes Tribunal on Thursday sentenced Shafi Uddin Moulana to death for war crimes during the country's Liberation War in Lakhai Upazila of Habiganj.

Three other accused – Tajul Islam Fokan, Jahed Miah and Saleque Miah – were awarded imprisonment till death on the same charges.

The special court, however, acquitted another accused, Sabbir Ahmed, of the war crime charges.

Shafi is a fugitive.

According to the verdict, Sabbir, who was on the run, got acquitted, as the prosecution failed to prove the charges brought against him.

The tribunal withdrew an arrest warrant it had earlier issued against him.

The three-member tribunal, headed by Justice Md Shahinur Islam, found the other accused guilty of the charges brought against them for committing murders, rapes, abductions and tortures during the 1971 Liberation War in Lakhai.

Death-row convict Shafi was the central committee secretary of East Pakistan Nizam-e-Islam and he participated in the provincial assembly election as its candidate, according to the case records.

In 1971, he took the stance against the Independence of Bangladesh and worked as a close associate and collaborator of the Pakistani Occupation Army.

He was also known as a leader of the peace committee and Razakar Bahini of Lakhai.

Tajul, Jahed and Saleque were members of the Razakar Bahini.

The tribunal's investigation agency released the final report on 21 March 2016 against the five accused.

The trial in the case began on 8 February 2019 with the formation of charges against the accused.