by
Dhaka, May 27, 2025 – In a landmark ruling, the Appellate Division of Bangladesh’s Supreme Court has acquitted ATM Azharul Islam, a leader of Jamaat-e-Islami, overturning his death sentence in a crimes against humanity case linked to the 1971 Liberation War. The verdict, delivered on Tuesday, marks the first instance in Bangladesh’s judicial history where a person sentenced to death for crimes against humanity has been acquitted by the Appellate Division.
The unanimous decision was announced at 9:52 AM by a seven-member full bench led by Chief Justice Dr. Syed Refaat Ahmed. The bench comprised Justices Md. Ashfaqul Islam, Zubayer Rahman Chowdhury, Md. Reazaul Haque, Imdadul Haque, Md. Asaduzzaman, and Farah Mahbub. The court ordered the immediate release of ATM Azharul Islam, stating there are no legal barriers to his freedom.
The ruling nullifies the death penalty previously upheld by the International Crimes Tribunal (ICT) on December 30, 2014, and reaffirmed by the Appellate Division on October 23, 2019. Azharul Islam had been convicted on five out of six charges, including genocide, murder, abduction, torture, and arson in the Rangpur region during the Liberation War. The charges included the killing of 1,256 individuals, abduction of 17, rape of one, detention and torture of 13, and widespread looting and arson. Jamaat-e-Islami has consistently labeled the ICT’s verdict as a “farce.”
The defense team, led by Advocate Mohammad Shishir Monir, Barrister Ehsan Abdullah Siddique, Barrister Imran Abdullah Siddique, and Barrister Najib Momen, argued for Azharul’s innocence. The state was represented by Additional Attorney General Barrister Anik R. Haque and Prosecutor Gazi M.H. Tamim.
The hearing on Azharul’s appeal concluded on May 8, 2025, with the court reserving the verdict for May 27. The defense had filed a 90-page appeal with 2,340 pages of supporting documents on January 28, 2015, citing 113 grounds for acquittal.
The courtroom saw the presence of senior Jamaat leaders, including Naib-e-Ameer Dr. Syed Abdullah Md. Taher, Acting Secretary General Maulana ATM Masum, Assistant Secretary General Maulana Rafiqul Islam Khan, and others.
This historic verdict has sparked discussions about its implications for other cases involving crimes against humanity in Bangladesh.
AI/MR
.webp)
.jpeg)
0 coment rios: