The Appellate Division of the Supreme Court will deliver its judgement today on appeal filed by convicted war criminal and former Jamaat-e-Islami leader ATM Azharul Islam challenging the death penalty that awarded to him by the International
Crimes Tribunal (ICT).
The case is number one in today’s cause list of the Appellate Division for declaring judgment. A four-member bench of the Appellate Division headed by Chief Justice Syed Mahmud Hossain will pronounce the verdict.
Earlier on June 18, the Supreme Court began hearing of appeal filed challenging the death penalty of convicted war criminal and former Jamaat-e-Islami leader ATM Azharul Islam. On January 1, 2015 ATM Azhar appealed to the Supreme Court challenging the death penalty awarded by International Crimes Tribunal for his crimes against humanity during the Liberation War in 1971.
His lawyers submitted a 90-page main appeal along with 2,250-page appeal to the SC’s Appellate Division on the day.
On December 30, 2014, the International Crimes Tribunal awarded death penalty to 61-year-old Azhar, known as an Al-Badr commander of Rangpur.
The tribunal found Azhar, former President of the Rangpur district unit Islami Chhatra Sangha, the then student wing of the Jamaat, guilty in five out of six charges, including genocide, murder, rape, abduction, forced confinement, torture and looting, committed during the Liberation War.
Azhar was sentenced to death for three charges and a total of 30 years imprisonment for two others. The tribunal also found him guilty of holding superior responsibility as he was the leader of Al-Badr. According the verdict, Azharul Islam was the President of Islami Chhatra Sangha, Rangpur district unit and al-Badr commander of the district when studying in class XI at Carmichael College. He allegedly maintained good relation with the Pakistani Army.
