The ruling Awami League (AL)-led 14-party alliance Thursday expressed satisfaction over the historic verdict given by the International Crimes Tribunal-1 (ICT-1) against Delawar Hossain Sayedee on charges of committing "crimes against humanity" during the 1971 liberation war, reports BSS.

In an immediate reaction after the verdict awarded by the ICT-1, the leaders of the alliance said people of the country have got justice through the verdict handed down to Sayedee.

The ICT-1 handed down death penalty to Jama'at-e-Islam leader Delawar Hossain Sayedee on charges of committing "crimes against humanity" collaborating with the Pakistani occupation troops during the liberation war in 1971.

Addressing a press conference at AL president's Dhanmondi office soon after the verdict, AL joint general secretary Mahbub-ul-Alam Hanif said, "On behalf of the 14-party alliance, we had an expectation of getting justice and the people finally got it."

Awami League joint general secretary Advocate Jahangir Kabir Nanak, general secretary of Gonotantri Party Nurur Rahman Selim, Samyabadi Dal leader Abu Hamed Shahabuddin, Workers' Party politburo member Fazle Hossain Badsha, MP, Jatiya Samajtantrik Dal (JSD) presidium member Shirin Akhtar, National Awami Party (NAP) leader Ismail Hossain, AL organising secretaries Ahmad Hossain and Khalid Mahmud Chowdhury, MP, information and research affairs secretary Advocate Afzal Hossain, deputy press and publication secretary Asim Kumar Ukil and deputy office secretary Mrinal Kanti Das were present.

Hanif congratulated the youngsters as well as the people for inspiring and staging demonstration, demanding capital punishment to war criminals who committed crimes against humanity during the 1971 liberation war.

"We are happy over the verdict and more verdicts against the identified accused of war crimes are awaited in future, so keep patience and respect the law," the AL spokesman said.

He requested all to express their happiness over the ICT verdict in line with the law.

Workers' Party president Rashed Khan Menon, MP, said, "People of the country got the verdict which they expected and proper justice had been established in the country through the verdict. The souls of the martyred freedom fighters would get solace over the verdict."

FBCCI president

Meanwhile, Federation of Bangladesh Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FBCCI) president Kazi Akram Uddin Ahmed hailed the verdict that handed down death penalty to Jamaat leader Delawar Hossain Sayedee on charges of "crimes against humanity" during the 1971 Liberation War siding with Pakistani forces.

"Like all other people of the country, the much-awaited verdict made us (businessmen) happy," president of the country's apex chamber-body told the news agency.

Referring to the previous verdict that awarded another Jamaat leader Abdul Quader Mollah life sentence, he said the verdict frustrated the nation, but this time people got the justice.

He expected that all the people charged for war crimes and crimes against humanity would get the right punishment.

Dhaka Chamber of Commerce and Industry (DCCI) President Md Sabur Khan urged the government to speed up the trail process of the war criminals as the situation of the country centering the issue already started taking tool on business.

BFUJ, DUJ

UNB adds: Journalist leaders expressed their satisfaction over the verdict delivered by International Crimes Tribunal-1 (ICT-1) in the case against nayeb-e-ameer of Jama'at-e-Islami Delwar Hossain Sayedee for his crimes against humanity during the liberation war 42 years ago, reports UNB.

President of Bangladesh Federal Union of Journalists Iqbal Sobhan Chowdhury, secretary general Abdul Jalil Bhuiyan, president of Dhaka Union of Journalists Omar Faruk and general secretary Shaban Mahmud in a joint statement on Thursday said: "In the light of the aspiration of the whole nation the journalist community expected maximum punishment for the war criminals".

"The long cherished expectation of the nation has been fulfilled in the judgement of the ICT handing down capital punishment for Sayedee", they said adding that the country moved one step forward in its journey to remove stigma.

They also congratulated the youths of Projonmo Chattar at Shahbagh for their efforts to unite the entire nation in favour of the capital punishment for Sayedee.