B Mirror Desk : The Appellate Division of the Supreme Court has overturned the death sentence of Jamaat-e-Islami leader ATM Azharul Islam in a war crimes case.
A full bench of seven justices, headed by Chief Justice Dr Syed Refaat Ahmed, issued the ruling on Tuesday (May 27).During the verdict announcement, both the prosecution and defense attorneys, senior Jamaat-e-Islami leaders, and the party’s legal representatives were present in the courtroom.
The seven-member bench entered the courtroom at approximately 9:50 am, and state prosecutor Gazi MH Tamim presented legal arguments before the court. The verdict announcement commenced at 9:55 am.Previously, on April 22, the Appellate Division had postponed the hearing of a review petition filed by Azharul Islam in the case until May 6.
Lawyers Ahsan A Siddik and Mohammad Shishir Manir represented Azharul Islam in court during the hearing.After his arrest, Jamaat-e-Islami leader ATM Azhar faced nine allegations of “crimes against humanity.”
The chargesheet indicated that he was “responsible” for the deaths of 1,256 individuals, the abduction of 17, and the rape of 13 women during the Liberation War in the Rangpur region. Additionally, he was accused of torturing civilians, setting fire to hundreds of homes, and committing various other atrocities.
The International Crimes Tribunal sentenced him to death on December 30, 2014, for five out of the nine charges. On January 28, 2015, the death-row convict filed a petition with the Appellate Division asserting his innocence.
Subsequently, on July 19, 2020, Azharul Islam submitted the review petition to the appropriate branch of the Appellate Division.After an appeal hearing, the Appellate Division, under a bench led by then-Chief Justice Syed Mahmud Hossain, upheld the death sentence in a ruling delivered on October 23, 2019.
The complete text of the Appellate Division’s verdict was published on March 15, 2020, after which ATM Azhar filed the review petition.
