NN Online:
The Appellate Division of the Supreme Court is set to deliver its verdict on Tuesday regarding the appeal filed by Jamaat-e-Islami leader ATM Azharul Islam, challenging his death sentence in a case involving crimes against humanity committed during the 1971 Liberation War.
A seven-member bench of the Appellate Division, headed by Justice Syed Refaat Ahmed, fixed the date on May 8 after concluding the appeal hearing.
Earlier, on April 22, the Appellate Division had stayed the hearing of a separate review petition filed by Azharul Islam until May 6.
During the hearing, lawyers Ahsan A Siddik and Mohammad Shishir Manir represented the convicted Jamaat leader in court.
ATM Azharul Islam was arrested and tried for nine counts of crimes against humanity. According to the chargesheet, he was allegedly responsible for the killing of 1,256 people, abduction of 17 individuals, and rape of 13 women in the Rangpur region during the Liberation War. Additional allegations included torture, arson attacks on hundreds of homes, and other atrocities.
On December 30, 2014, the International Crimes Tribunal (ICT) sentenced him to death after finding him guilty on five of the nine charges.
Azharul Islam first filed an appeal with the Appellate Division on January 28, 2015, maintaining his innocence. After years of legal proceedings, a bench led by then-Chief Justice Syed Mahmud Hossain upheld the death sentence in a verdict delivered on October 23, 2019. The full text of that verdict was released on March 15, 2020.
Subsequently, on July 19, 2020, Azharul filed a review petition, which was pending until the Appellate Division paused its hearing earlier this year.
The Supreme Court’s final decision on his appeal is now awaited.
