New York :
The death sentence against Mir Quasem Ali, a central executive committee member of Bangladesh’s Jamaat-e-Islami party, should be suspended with immediate effect, Human Rights Watch said on Friday. The Supreme Court’s rejection on August 30, 2016, of his review petition means that Quasem Ali could be hanged within days once the deadline to appeal for presidential clemency expires.
Quasem Ali was convicted for war crimes allegedly committed by forces under his command during Bangladesh’s 1971 war of independence. He was tried in 2014 by the country’s specially constituted International Crimes Tribunal (ICT). Mir Quasem Ali boards a prison van after International Crimes Tribunal sentenced him to death on November 2, 2014, for alleged 1971 war crimes.
In March 2016, the Supreme Court set aside a number of charges but upheld Quasem Ali’s conviction and death penalty in one case of murder. While hearing Quasem Ali’s appeal, Chief Justice Surendra Kumar Sinha criticized the attorney general, prosecutors,
and investigators for producing insufficient evidence in the trial court. On August 24, a group of United Nations experts urged the Bangladeshi government to annul the death sentence against Quasem Ali and grant him a retrial, noting how the proceedings had reportedly been “marred” by “irregularities.” Several prominent international observers have expressed serious concerns over previous death penalty convictions handed down by the ICT due to concerns over fair trials.
“It is critical that the Bangladesh government ensures justice for the awful crimes against civilians in 1971, but that requires it to uphold international fair trial standards,” said Brad Adams, Asia director at Human Rights Watch. “If there’s even a shadow of doubt about fairness, as in Quasem Ali’s case, the authorities should set aside the death penalty.” Human Rights Watch also called upon the authorities to release or charge Mir Ahmed Bin Quasem, Quasem Ali’s son, who was forcibly disappeared on August 9 by state authorities.
The death sentence against Mir Quasem Ali, a central executive committee member of Bangladesh’s Jamaat-e-Islami party, should be suspended with immediate effect, Human Rights Watch said on Friday. The Supreme Court’s rejection on August 30, 2016, of his review petition means that Quasem Ali could be hanged within days once the deadline to appeal for presidential clemency expires.
Quasem Ali was convicted for war crimes allegedly committed by forces under his command during Bangladesh’s 1971 war of independence. He was tried in 2014 by the country’s specially constituted International Crimes Tribunal (ICT). Mir Quasem Ali boards a prison van after International Crimes Tribunal sentenced him to death on November 2, 2014, for alleged 1971 war crimes.
In March 2016, the Supreme Court set aside a number of charges but upheld Quasem Ali’s conviction and death penalty in one case of murder. While hearing Quasem Ali’s appeal, Chief Justice Surendra Kumar Sinha criticized the attorney general, prosecutors,
and investigators for producing insufficient evidence in the trial court. On August 24, a group of United Nations experts urged the Bangladeshi government to annul the death sentence against Quasem Ali and grant him a retrial, noting how the proceedings had reportedly been “marred” by “irregularities.” Several prominent international observers have expressed serious concerns over previous death penalty convictions handed down by the ICT due to concerns over fair trials.
“It is critical that the Bangladesh government ensures justice for the awful crimes against civilians in 1971, but that requires it to uphold international fair trial standards,” said Brad Adams, Asia director at Human Rights Watch. “If there’s even a shadow of doubt about fairness, as in Quasem Ali’s case, the authorities should set aside the death penalty.” Human Rights Watch also called upon the authorities to release or charge Mir Ahmed Bin Quasem, Quasem Ali’s son, who was forcibly disappeared on August 9 by state authorities.
