Bangladesh: Prosecution asked to submit formal charge against Bagerhat war crimes suspects by August 20

Dhaka, July 8 (New Age): The International Crimes Tribunal -1 on Monday asked the prosecution to submit the formal charges or a report on progress in the investigation against three Bagerhat war crimes suspects by August 20. The tribunal set the deadline after prosecutor Syed Sayedul Haque Sumon sought six more months to complete the investigation against the trio. The suspects include Akram Khan and Abdul Latif Talukder already detained and  Sirajul Haque alias Siraj Master, who is absconding. In his submissions the prosecutor said that the war crimes investigation agency probing the charges was getting evidences of the complicity of the trio in crimes against humanity that took place in Bagerhat in 1971. The prosecutor also submitted a petition seeking permission to interrogate Akram by the war crimes investigation agency at its safe home. The tribunal granted the permission to interrogate the suspect in the presence of a physician and a defence lawyer. The tribunal also asked him to inform it  about the date of his interrogation. Defence lawyer representing Akram and Latif, M Sarwar Hossain, on the other hand, submitted two petitions – one seeking privileged communication with his client Latif and the other seeking Latif’s bail. He submitted that his clients being elderly persons never tried to influence the probes at any stage. Sarwar sought bails for his clients on any condition. The tribunal accepted his plea seeking privileged communication with his clients and said it would hear the bail plea later. Akram and Latif were in the dock. The trio allegedly committed crimes against humanity including genocide, killings, arson attacks, rape, confinement, looting, and torture in confinement at different places of Kachua thana in erstwhile Bagerhat sub-division in 1971.