International Crimes Tribunal grants bail to ex-NSI DG Wahidul
The ICT-1 on 16 October, 2019, indicted Wahidul on the charges of committing crimes against humanity, genocide, and violating the Geneva Convention in 1971
The International Crimes Tribunal (ICT) today (29 October) allowed conditional bail to former director general (DG) of National Security Intelligence (NSI) Muhammad Wahidul Haque in a crimes against humanity case.
The three-judge panel of the ICT led by Justice Md Golam Mortuza Mozumder passed the order after holding a hearing in this regard.
"He is 78 years old and has been languishing in jail for the last six and a half years after getting arrested in the case. He is suffering from different old-age complications," defence counsel Advocate Abdus Sattar Palwan told BSS.
"We had pleaded for bail, saying the former government filed the forged and fabricated case against him, being angered for not getting illegal assistance from him during his tenures in NSI and police. The tribunal after going through all the relevant documents and hearing our arguments, allowed him the bail," he said.
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The defence lawyer said the court granted Wahidul bail on conditions of not visiting or giving any threats to any witnesses, not talking to any media, not going outside, not leaving the country and keeping his passport in court custody.
The ICT-1 on 16 October, 2019, indicted Wahidul on the charges of committing crimes against humanity, genocide, and violating the Geneva Convention in 1971.
The tribunal's investigation agency on 30 October, 2018, finalised its probe report on the alleged crimes against humanity committed in 1971 by Wahidul.
According to the prosecution, Wahidul, who was an adjutant of the 29 Cavalry Regiment based in Rangpur Cantonment at the time, went on a killing spree on 28 March, 1971, as he and his subordinates brush fired on freedom-loving people of the area and killed around 600 innocents.
They also set fire to houses and burnt the bodies of those killed in their gunfire, the prosecution said.
The ICT probe body launched its investigation against Wahidul on 5 December, 2016, and concluded on 30 October, 2018. They made 54 people witnesses in the trial.
Wahidul was arrested on 24 April, 2018, from his Baridhara house right after the ICT-1 issued an arrest warrant against him.
