| Bangladesh |
| 2 HUJI cases shifted to Speedy Trial Tribunal |
| 2008-09-05 |
| The two cases filed in connection with the August 21 grenade attack on an Awami League (AL) rally in 2004 were transferred yesterday to a Speedy Trial Tribunal of Dhaka for quick disposal. The cases were filed for the grenade attacks on an the rally on Bangabandhu Avenue that left 23 people dead and around 200 others injured. The murder case is now pending with the Court of Second Additional Metropolitan Sessions Judge and the grenade attack case with the Court of Metropolitan Sessions Judge of Dhaka. Following an order signed on August 26 by the home ministry, Judge Mohammad Azizul Haque of the Metropolitan Sessions Judge's Court transferred the cases to the Speedy Trial Tribunal-1 where Mohammad Masdar Hossain is the conducting judge. Earlier on August 31, the conducting judge fixed September 8 for hearing on charge framing against 22 accused including detained former BNP lawmaker Abdus Salam Pintu and Harkatul Jihad (Huji) chief Mufti Abdul Hannan in the grenade attack case. On the other hand, another Dhaka court the same day directed eight absconding Huji members including brothers of Pintu to appear before the court by September 21. Of the accused, Pintu, Mufti Hannan, his brother Mohibullah alias Mafizur Rahman alias Ovi, Sharif Shahidul Islam alias Bipul, Maulana Abu Sayeed alias Dr Abu Zafar, Abul Kalam Azad alias Bulbul, Jahangir Alam, Maulana Abu Taher, Shahadatullah Jewel, Hossain Ahmed Tamim, Mufti Moinuddin Sheikh alias Abu Zandal alias Masum Billah, Arif Hasan Sumon, Rafiqul Islam Sabuj and Mohammad Ujjal alias Ratan were earlier arrested and are now in jail custody. Pintu's brother Maulana Tajuddin, Maulana Liton, and Anisul Mursalin, Mahibul Muttakin, Iqbal, Maulana Abu Bakar alias Selim Howlader, Jahangir Alam Badar and Khalilur Rahman have been absconding since the cases were filed. Eight of the arrestees -- Hannan, Bipul, Ovi, Abu Sayeed, Bulbul, Arif Hossain, Jahangir and Sabuj -- gave statements under section 164 of the Criminal Procedure Code confessing their involvement in the incident. On June 11 this year, Criminal Investigation Department (CID) Assistant Superintendent Fazlul Kabir, also investigation officer (IO) of the cases, submitted the charge sheets to the Court of Chief Metropolitan Magistrate, Dhaka, showing 412 people as prosecution witnesses. A day after the grenade attack, the police filed two cases -- one for murder and another under the Explosive Substances Act -- with Motijheel Police Station. |
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| Bangladesh |
| Arrest warrant against Khaleda's nephew, Sajeda Chowdhury's son |
| 2008-08-05 |
| A Dhaka court yesterday issued arrest warrants against detained former prime minister Khaleda Zia's nephew Shahrin Islam Tuhin and Awami League (AL) presidium member Syeda Sajeda Chowdhury's son Shahdab Akbar in separate cases filed for amassing wealth through illegal means. Judge Mohammad Azizul Haque of Metropolitan Sessions Judge's Court took the charges into cognisance after scrutinising the case dockets and other relevant documents. The court passed the orders as the investigation officers (IO) appealed for issuing arrest warrants against the two. Both have been absconding since filing of the cases. |
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| Bangladesh |
| Court raps cops for failure to arrest Huji men |
| 2008-07-25 |
| A Dhaka court yesterday expressed dissatisfaction over negligence in duties by police personnel in executing arrest warrants against seven absconding Harkatul Jihad (Huji) members accused in the August 21 grenade attack case. Metropolitan Sessions Judge Mohammad Azizul Haque asked the Public Prosecutor (PP) to take actions against the policemen who failed to comply with the court order. The court said it had issued arrest warrants against the absconding accused on June 23 and directed the authorities concerned to send copies of the arrest warrants to their addresses the same day. But the officers-in-charge (OC) of different police stations, who had been asked to return reports on arrest warrants to the court by yesterday, did not comply with the court order. The court also said the police submitted the charge sheet of the case after four years of the grenade attacks and have been trying to delay trial. Only Barisal Kotwali police submitted a report on the arrest warrant against Abu Bakar alias Hafez Selim mentioning that they could not arrest him. Meantime, the same court rejected the bail petitions of detained former deputy minister Abdus Salam Pintu and three Huji members, Arif Hasan Sumon, Jahangir Alam and Shahadat Ullah Jewel. Huji Chief Mufti Abdul Hannan and Sumon submitted petitions for retraction of their confessional statements saying that they were forced to give the statements. The court fixed August 10 for next hearing of the case and directed the OC of different police stations to submit reports on arrest warrants against the seven absconding accused on the scheduled date. The prosecution told the judge that they would try to make sure that police submit the reports in due time. Moving the bail petitions, the lawyers told the court that their clients were implicated in the case as part of a conspiracy to harass them. The prosecution said the petitions should be rejected as they had earlier confessed to their involvement in the incident. The case was filed for carrying out grenade attacks on an Awami League (AL) rally on August 21, 2004 that left 23 people dead and around 200 injured. Detained former lawmaker Pintu and other accused, who are in jail custody now, were produced before the court. The seven absconding accused are Pintu's brothers Maulana Tajuddin and Maulana Liton, Anisul Mursalin and his brother Mahibul Muttakin, Iqbal, Jahangir Alam Badar and Khalilur Rahman. |
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