The Supreme Court will deliver its judgment today (Wednesday) on the appeal filed by condemned convict Jamaat Ameer Matiur Rahman Nizami challenging the death penalty for his crimes against humanity during the Liberation War in 1971.A four-member bench of the Appellate Division, headed by Chief Justice Surendra Kumar Sinha, will deliver the verdict.Sultana, Justice Syed Mahmud Hossain and Justice Hasan Foez Siddique. On December 8 last, the Supreme Court fixed January 6 for delivering the verdict on the appeal filed by condemned convict Jamaat Ameer Matiur Rahman Nizami. Earlier, the defence placed their arguments on November 30, December 1 and 2 while the prosecution completed submitting arguments on December 8.Earlier on December 2, last, Nizami’s counsel Khandker Mahabub Hossain also prayed to the apex court for releasing him or giving him any other punishment instead of death penalty taking his age and physical condition into consideration. On October 29, 2014, the International Crimes Tribunal-1 sentenced Nizami to death for committing crimes against humanity, including genocide and the murder of intellectuals, during the Liberation War.The tribunal sentenced Nizami, the 1971 commander-in-chief of Al Badr, a secret killing squad of Jamaate-e-Islami, the capital punishment each on four counts of charges of war crimes, terming Al Badr a criminal outfit.Nizami filed an appeal challenging the death sentence and claimed himself innocent and sought to be cleared of the charges on November 23, 2014.
