The International Crimes Tribunal has directed the prisons authorities to produce detained Jamaat-e-Islami leader Delwar Hossain Sayedee before it on August 24 as he was not produced yesterday due to sickness.

Earlier on August 4, the tribunal ordered the authorities to produce the Nayeb-e-Ameer of Jamaat before it yesterday. The order followed a petition filed by the prosecution seeking arrest warrant against Sayedee in connection with alleged war crimes in 1971.

The tribunal had also fixed yesterday for hearing the prosecution petition in presence of the Jamaat leader.

Defence counsel Tajul Islam yesterday told the tribunal that Sayedee is sick, and he sought adjournment of the hearing.

Chairman of the tribunal Nizamul Huq said the prisons authorities also informed them that sayedee suddenly fell sick, and they could not produce him before the tribunal yesterday.

The tribunal adjourned the hearing till August 24 and ordered producing Sayedee before it on that day.

Meanwhile, the tribunal also fixed August 24 for hearing two defence petitions for Sayedee, and six petitions for four other Jamaat leaders shown arrested on orders from the tribunal. The four are Motiur Rahman Nizami, Ali Ahsan Mohammad Mojahid, Mohammad Kamaruzzaman and Abdul Quader Molla,

Defence lawyer Tajul Islam told this correspondent that of the two petitions filed for Sayedee yesterday, one seeks not issuing any arrest warrant against him, and the other seeks allowing Sayedee to authorise someone to appoint lawyers to defend him.

The six petitions filled earlier contained prayers which include release of the four other Jamaat leaders from jail, certified copies of all documents of the case against the four, withdrawal of the arrest warrant against them and stay on further proceedings against them in the tribunal.

Chairman of the Tribunal Nizamul Huq and its member Justice ATM Fazle Kabir sat for the hearing yesterday morning. Another member, Justice AKM Zaheer Ahmed, could not join them due to sickness.

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