A war crimes tribunal has sentenced Md Abdus Samad alias Feroz Khan to death for his crimes against humanity, including murder, rape and arson, during the 1971 Liberation War in Rajshahi’s Puthia.

A three-member panel of the International Crimes Tribunal led by Justice Shahinur Islam announced the verdict on Tuesday.

Sixty-two-year-old Samad, who was an ex-activist of Muslim League, had joined the Jamaat-e-Islami which collaborated against the Liberation War and conducted different crimes against humanity, the court heard.

The prosecution has proved all four charges brought against the convict, the court said in its verdict. The convict will have an opportunity to appeal the verdict at the Supreme Court within a month.

The tribunal deferred the verdict for further deliberation on Jul 8 after hearing the arguments of both sides in the case. The trial proceedings of the case began on Sept 9 last year.

So far, the ICT has announced verdicts in 39 cases against 97 people. Of them, 89 people have been convicted while 62 received capital punishment. Six suspects died during trials.

Deshsangbad/Alo