Bangladesh SC Overturns Death Row Of Islamist Leader Accused Of Over 1,000 Killings

<p>The Appellate Division of Bangladesh’s Supreme Court has acquitted Jamaat-e-Islami leader ATM Azharul Islam of war crimes charges, effectively reversing the death sentence previously issued by the International Crimes Tribunal (ICT).</p>
<p>The ruling, which came after years of legal proceedings and appeals, was announced on Tuesday by a seven-member bench of the Appellate Division, headed by Chief Justice Syed Refaat Ahmed, the Dhaka Tribune reported.</p>
<p>The court has also ordered that he be released immediately if there are no other pending cases against him.</p>
<h3>Death Sentence Revoked</h3>
<p>ATM Azharul Islam had been sentenced to death by the ICT in a case linked to crimes committed during the 1971 Liberation War. The tribunal found him guilty in 2014, but the case had since moved to the higher court on appeal. With this new ruling, the Supreme Court has dismissed the previous judgment, citing grounds not publicly disclosed at the time of the announcement.</p>
<p>As per the chargesheet, Islam was convicted for killing 1,256 people, abducting 17, and raping 13 women at the time of the Liberation War in Rangpur region. He was also accused of having tortured civilians and setting hundreds of houses ablaze.</p>
<p>The Islamist leader was sentenced him to death by the International Crimes Tribunal on December 30, 2014, on five out of the nine charges. On January 28, 2015, he submitted a petition to the Appellate Division claiming his innocence, Dhaka Tribune reported.</p>
<p>Later, Azharul Islam filed the review petition with the relevant branch of the Appellate Division on July 19, 2020.</p>
<p>The full bench, after concluding hearings on the appeal, delivered its final verdict in favour of the accused. This marks one of the most significant reversals in the series of trials that have taken place under the tribunal, which was formed to address crimes against humanity during the country&rsquo;s independence struggle.</p>
<p>In addition to acquitting Azhar, the Appellate Division has instructed authorities to release him from custody without delay&mdash;provided that he is not being held in connection with any other legal matter. The order signals the end of a long and controversial chapter in the war crimes tribunal&rsquo;s history.</p>