14/5/12
Ghulam Azam indicted for war crimes by the International Crimes Tribunal. See here for further details.
9/3/12
A bizarre day at the ICT on Thursday to say the least! It seems that in presenting formal charges Jamaat-e-Islami leader Abdul Quader Molla, the hapless prosecution counsel, Mr Sultan Mahmud, earned the dissatisfaction of the judges when he consistently made errors of historical fact, wrongly named officers of the Pakistani Army and even the names and titles of the tribunal judges!
29/2/12
The prosecution produced a video as part of their evidence. The 55 minute documentary did not have any footage of Ghulam Azam at all. See here for more information.
15/2/12
The hearing on the formal charges against Professor Ghulam Azam’s charges at the International Crimes Tribunal began this afternoon. The verdict on Azam’s bail petition has been delayed until 23 February.
8/2/12
Ghulam Azam’s bail petition has been delayed. It may be held tomorrow but the date has not yet been given. The Bangladesh government will by now be aware that the UN Working Group on Arbitrary Detention has stated that the detention of other political leaders is in contravention of Article 9 of the Universal Declaration on Human Rights and Article 9 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights.
4/2/12
Ghulam Azam’s bail petition is to be filed on Monday, with the hearing for it expected on Tuesday
3/2/12
Ghulam Azam’s youngest son publishes article in Naya Diganta on his father’s arrest. The article (in Bangla) can be found here. A translation will follow shortly.
30/01/12
The family continues to have concerns regarding Ghulam Azam’s health and treatment in custody. He has not yet been charged, let alone convicted of any crimes yet is being treated very poorly. He has only recently been given access to his lawyers and is still being denied reading material and regular contact from the family.
Recent news reports regarding Ghulam Azam:
2 counsels to meet Ghulam Azam
http://www.thedailystar.net/newDesign/latest_news.php?nid=35469
Lawyers permitted to meet Ghulam Azam
http://www.banglanews24.com/English/detailsnews.php?nssl=8e241a00e2905962b86a2e25a7945c70&nttl=2012013032023&toppos=6
Ghulam Azam’s vision, hearing deteriorating: Dr Abdullah
ICT permits 2 lawyers to meet Ghulam Azam
http://theindependentbd.com/online-edition/92448-ict-permits-2-lawyers-to-meet-ghulam-azam.html
22/01/12
Ghulam Azam’s son, Amaan Azmi responded to allegations that he was involved in the recent “foiled coup” by Army officers. He strongly denied the accusations, saying that he had served the army for 30 years with honour and would support punishment of anyone involved in such a plot. Further information here.
18/01/12
Professor Ghulam Azam was taken to Dhaka Medical College Hospital for an MRI scan today. He was then transferred back to BSMMU hospital until further notice. No date has yet been given for his transfer to prison, however his family are continuing to lobby for bail or as a minimum, division when in prison. He continues to suffer from a number of medical problems, including back pain and gallbladder problems.
A member of the defence team was arrested and detained today for photocopying documents.
15/01/12
Ghulam Azam remains in hospital. The previous low quality of food has improved since his family made complaints about this, although it is still inadequate. Despite media reports announcing him to be fit and well, he suffers from a number of age-related complaints including back pain, requiring regular physiotherapy. He has also been denied access to a Quran, which violates universal human rights standards. An application for division [a higher standard of prison accommodation] has been made.
An article was published in Amader Shomoy today which states that the UN Human Rights Commission has demanded that the Bangladeshi Government explain the arrest of political leaders including Matiur Rahman Nizami. This letter, sent by the Working Group on Arbitrary Detention was written to the government on September 12th requesting a response within 60 days, however this deadline has since been extended. This demonstrates the level of international concern about the so-called International Crimes Tribunal, and we await further comment from the UN with interest.
