War criminal Azhar's death penalty upheld

The Appellate Division of the Supreme Court (SC) upheld the death penalty against convicted war criminal and Jamaat leader ATM Azharul Islam for his crimes against humanity during the Liberation War of the county in 1971.  

A four-member Appellate Division bench headed by Chief Justice Syed Mahmud Hossain pronounced the judgement today.

The apex court kept the judgement on CAV, curia advisari vult (a Latin legal term meaning court awaits judgement), on July 10 as the hearing in the case concluded on that day.

"Tribunal sentenced him to death as the charges brought against Azhar were proved beyond doubt. There is no reason to interfere with the verdict of the ICT-1 and I hope that the initial judgment will be upheld," Attorney General Mahbubey Alam had said earlier.

The Appellate Division of the Supreme Court (SC) on June 18 started hearing the appeal filed by ATM Azharul Islam. The first tribunal on December 30, 2014, sentenced then assistant secretary general of Jamaat-e-Islami to death for his crimes against humanity in Rangpur during the War of Liberation.

The tribunal found him guilty in five of the total six charges it had framed against him. Azhar filed the appeal against his conviction on January 28, 2015.