Staff Reporter :The Appellate Division of the Supreme Court on Wednesday released the full text of the verdict on the appeal petition of Jamaat-e-Islami leader Muhammad Kamaruzzaman against the death sentence for his participation in crimes against humanity during the war of liberation. Earlier, four judges of the Appellate Division who earlier delivered the verdict on the appeal on November 3 last year, signed the 579-page judgement. Chief Justice SK Sinha, Justice Md Abdul Wahhab Miah, Justice Hasan Foez Siddique and Justice AHM Shamsuddin Choudhury Manik passed the judgement by a majority decision, sustaining the death penalty of Kamaruzzaman,Assistant Secretary General of Jamaat-e-Islami. Now the government can start the process for the execution of the sentence as the Supreme Court released the full text of the judgment upholding his death penalty, Attorney General Mahbubey Alam said.Talking to the journalists, he said now there is no legal bar for the government to fix a date for the execution of the death sentence of Kamaruzzaman.However, he said the convict has the option to file a review petition with this court against the death sentence.This is the third judgement of the Appellate Division against the convicts of 1971. Earlier, it disposed two other cases against Jamaat-e-Islami leaders Abdul Quader Molla and Delwar Hossain Sayedee. The Appellate Division awarded Quader Molla with death sentence overturning the lifelong imprisonment, while reduced the capital punishment of Sayedee to imprisonment till death. The accused person would have 15 days time after receiving the certified copy of the full text of the judgement to move forward a review petition. If a review petition is filed with the Appellate Division, the judgement would be executed after the disposal of the review petition. Accused Kamaruzzaman will also get the opportunity to move a petition for presidential clemency once he receives the death warrant from the tribunal. The Appellate Division sustained the death sentence of Kamaruzzaman in the charge of Sohagpur genocide by a majority decision. The incident took place at Sohagpur inder Nalitabari upazila in Sherpur district on July 25, 1971. One judge dissented with the other judges. The judges unanimously reduced Kamaruzzaman’s death penalty to life long imprisonment in the murder charge of Golam Mustafa. He filed the appeal petition against his death sentence on June 6 last year. Earlier, the International Crimes Tribunal-2 sentenced Kamaruzzaman to death for his involvement in 1971 felonies on May 9 in 2013. The tribunal framed seven charges against Kamaruzzaman on June 4, 2012. A total of 18 prosecution witnesses including investigation officer Abdur Razzaq Khan gave their depositions against Kamaruzzaman, while five defence witnesses appeared to testify for the Jamaat leader.
