AL leader Mobarak acquitted of war crimes charges

Staff Reporter :

The Appellate Division of the Supreme Court has acquitted Mobarak Hossain, a former leader of the Awami League, who had been sentenced to death for crimes against humanity committed during Bangladesh’s 1971 Liberation War.

A five-member bench of the Appellate Division, headed by Chief Justice Dr Syed Refaat Ahmed, delivered the verdict on Wednesday, overturning the judgment delivered by the International Crimes Tribunal (ICT)-1 nearly a decade ago.

On 24 November 2014, the ICT-1, comprising Justice M Enayetur Rahim, Justice Jahangir Hossain, and Justice Anwarul Haque, found Mobarak guilty of being one of the key members of the Razakar force in Brahmanbaria during the Liberation War.

Of the five charges brought against him, two were proven in court. He was handed the death penalty for one charge and life imprisonment for another.

Following the verdict, Mobarak Hossain appealed to the Supreme Court, seeking to overturn his conviction.

The Appellate Division began hearing his appeal on 8 July this year, and after concluding the hearings, acquitted him of all charges.

Senior lawyers SM Shahjahan and Imran A Siddique represented Mobarak Hossain during the appeal hearings, while ICT Prosecutor Gazi MH Tamim appeared for the state. This verdict brings an end to a long legal battle that began with charges of serious crimes committed more than five decades ago.