The Supreme Court has begun hearing the appeal against the death sentence of Jamaat-e-Islami leader Mohammad Kamaruzzaman. He was awarded a death sentence by the war crimes tribunal a year ago. A four-member Appellate Division bench headed by Justice SK Sinha started the hearing on Thursday morning. Attorney General Mahbubey Alam represented the state while Khandker Mahbub Hossain stood for defence. After Alam sought time to prepare last month, the Supreme Court had deferred the hearing date to June 3. But the hearing started after two days. The court earlier had dismissed the plea for Jamaat leaders’ lawyer Tajul Islam to represent Kamaruzzaman in the appeal hearing as he did not have the permission for that from the Appellate Division. This is the first time the chief justice is not in the bench hearing the appeals against verdicts of the war crimes cases. Justice Sinha is being assisted by Justices Md Abdul Wahhab Miah, AHM Shamsuddin Choudhury and Hasan Foez Siddique. The International Crimes Tribunal on May 9 last year sentenced Kamaruzzaman to death for his ‘crimes against humanity’ during the 1971 War of Independence. He was the head of Al-Badr in Mymensingh during the war. The Jamaat leader appealed against the verdict on June 6 last year. But the prosecution did not file any appeal as the accused was awarded maximum penalty. Kamaruzzaman committed the crimes at the age of 19 when he was a local leader of Jamaat’s erstwhile student wing, the Islami Chhatra Sangha, in and around Sherpur. A former head of Jamaat’s diplomatic relations and liaison team, Kamaruzzaman was sentenced to death on charges of genocide at Sohagpur and for murder of Golam Mostafa. He was given life in prison for killing Badiuzzaman and the murder of five and a ten years term for torturing Lecturer Syed Abdul Hannan. Charges of genocide at Sohagpur, torture of lecturer Abdul Hannan, murder of Golam Mostafa, and the murder of five have been proved leading to his death sentence. Hearings on appeals for Jamaat leaders and war crimes convicts Abdul Quader Molla and Delwar Hossain Sayadee have also been held. The Appellate Division gave death sentence for Quader Molla who was hanged on Dec 12 last year. After the appeal hearing in Sayedee case began on Sept 24 last year, it ended on Apr 16 this year and a verdict is awaited. The ICT was formed on Mar 25, 2010 to try those who had committed ‘crimes against humanity’ during the 1971 Liberation War. The first verdict was given on Jan 21 last year against former Jamaat member Abul Kalam Azad, also known as Bachchu Razakar, who is absconding. He was sentenced to death for his crimes. Death verdicts were also issued against Jamaat leaders Sayedee, Kamaruzzaman, Ali Ahsan Mohammad Mojahid and two fugitive erstwhile Islami Chhatra Sangha leaders Ashrafuzzaman Khan and Choudhury Mueen-Uddin. Jamaat leader Ghulam Azam was sentenced to life in jail considering his age though he was found guilty of all crimes. BNP leader Salauddin Quader Chowdhury was given death sentence while other leader Abdul Alim was sentenced to life imprisonment. These convicts now in jail have appealed against their verdict and all the appeals are now with the Appellate Division pending final verdicts. Jamaat-e-Islami was also identified as a criminal organisation for opposing independence from Pakistan. The High Court has cancelled the party’s registration. The tribunal’s investigating agency is now probing involvement of the party to file a case against it. –bdnews24.com
