Bangladesh Supreme Court frees Islamist leader sentenced to death for 1971 war crimes under Sheikh Hasina's ousted regime
DHAKA, May 27 — Bangladesh's top court on Tuesday overturned a conviction against a key leader of the country's main Islamist party, who had been on death row since being sentenced under the regime ousted last year.
A.T.M. Azharul Islam, from the Jamaat-e-Islami party, and who has been in custody since 2012, was acquitted of crimes against humanity by the Supreme Court, which ordered his release.
Islam, who was born in 1952, was among six senior political leaders convicted during the tenure of Sheikh Hasina, whose 15-year-long autocratic rule as prime minister ended in August 2024 when a student-led revolt forced her to flee.
Political parties, including Jamaat-e-Islami, are readying for hugely anticipated elections which the interim government has vowed will take place by June 2026 at the latest.
Islam's lawyer Shishir Monir said he was 'fortunate' because the five other senior political leaders who had been convicted – four from Jamaat-e-Islami, and another from the key Bangladesh National Party (BNP) – had already been hanged.
'He got justice because he is alive', Monir told reporters. 'The appellate division failed to review the evidence in other cases for crimes against humanity'.
Islam had been sentenced to death in 2014 for rape, murder and genocide during Bangladesh's 1971 independence war from Pakistan.
Jamaat-e-Islami supported Islamabad during the war, a role that still sparks anger among many Bangladeshis today.
'Seek your pardon'
They were rivals of Hasina's father, Sheikh Mujibur Rahman of the Awami League – who would become Bangladesh's founding figure.
Hasina banned Jamaat-e-Islami during her tenure and cracked down on its leaders.
Islam appealed in 2015, but the court upheld the verdict in 2019, and he filed a review petition in 2020.
Hasina, 77, fled to India last year as crowds stormed her palace, and she remains there in self-imposed exile – with her Awami League party itself now banned.
She has defied Dhaka's extradition request to face charges of crimes against humanity related to the crackdown that killed at least 1,400 protesters in her failed bid to claw onto power.
With Hasina gone, Islam appealed his conviction again, filing an appeal on February 27.
On Tuesday, the full bench, led by Chief Justice Syed Refaat Ahmed, acquitted him.
Supporters of Jamaat-e-Islami celebrated. Leader Shafiqur Rahman told reporters that the party was also remembering those who had been hanged.
'They were the victims of judicial killings,' he said.
'If they were alive today, they could have led the country in the right direction. People will always remember their contributions to the nation'.
As political parties jostle for power, rivals of Jamaat-e-Islami have also questioned its historical role in supporting Pakistan during the 1971 war.
'We, as individuals or as a party, are not beyond making mistakes', Rahman said, without specifying further what he referred to, and declining to take questions.
'We seek your pardon, if we have done anything wrong'. — AFP
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Free Malaysia Today
16 hours ago
- Free Malaysia Today
Pakistan likely to hike defence spending but slash overall budget
Analysts said they expect Pakistan to increase its defence budget by around 20%, likely offset by cuts in development spending. (EPA Images pic) ISLAMABAD : Pakistan will unveil its annual federal budget for the coming fiscal year later today, seeking to kickstart growth while finding resources for an expected hike in defence expenditure following the conflict with India last month. Islamabad will also have to contend with remaining within the discipline of its International Monetary Fund programme and the uncertainty from new trade tariffs being imposed by the US, its biggest export market. Media reports say the government is likely to present a Rs17.6 trillion (US$62.45 billion) budget for the fiscal year beginning July 1, down 6.7% from this fiscal year. It has projected a fiscal deficit of 4.8% of GDP, against a targeted 5.9% deficit in 2024-25, the reports say. Analysts said they expect an increase of around 20% in the defence budget, likely offset by cuts in development spending. Pakistan allocated Rs2.1 trillion (US$7.45 billion) for defence in the outgoing fiscal year, including US$2 billion for equipment and other assets. An additional Rs563 billion (US$1.99 billion) was set aside for military pensions, which are not counted within the official defence budget. India's defence spending in its 2025–26 (April-March) fiscal year was set at US$78.7 billion, a 9.5% increase from the previous year, including pensions and US$21 billion earmarked for equipment. It has indicated it will step up expenditure following the May conflict with Pakistan. The government of Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has projected 4.2% economic growth in 2025-26, saying it has steadied the economy, which had looked at risk of defaulting on its debts as recently as 2023. Growth this fiscal year is likely to be 2.7%, against an initial target of 3.6% set in the budget last year. Pakistan's growth lags far behind the region. In 2024, South Asian countries grew by an average of 5.8% and 6.0% growth is expected in 2025, according to the Asian Development Bank. Rate cuts not enough Expansion of the economy should be aided by a sharp drop in the cost of borrowing, the government says, after a succession of interest rate cuts by the central bank. However, economists warn that monetary policy alone may not be enough, with fiscal constraints and IMF-mandated reforms still weighing on investment. Finance minister Muhammad Aurangzeb said yesterday that he wanted to avoid Pakistan's boom and bust cycles of the past. 'The macroeconomic stability that we have achieved, we want to absolutely stay the course,' he said. 'This time around we are very, very clear that we do not want to squander the opportunity,' he added. The budget is expected to prioritise expanding the tax base, enforcing agriculture income tax laws, and reducing government subsidies to industry, to meet the terms of a US$7 billion IMF bailout signed last summer. Just 1.3% of the population paid income tax in 2024, according to the tax authorities, with agriculture and the retail sector largely outside of the tax net. The IMF has urged Pakistan to widen the tax base through reforms which include taxing agriculture, retail, and real estate. Ahmad Mobeen, senior economist at S&P Global Market Intelligence, said that he expected the revenue target for 2025-2026 will be missed. 'The shortfall will mostly be owing to lack of optimal implementation of announced measures as well as absence of meaningful structural reforms to widen the tax net in general,' said Mobeen.
Free Malaysia Today
2 days ago
- Free Malaysia Today
Ex-cop's murder death penalty affirmed as message to police officers
The Court of Appeal upheld the death penalty imposed on Ahmad Rizal Umar for the murder of Kartini Borhan, 27, four years ago. PETALING JAYA : The Court of Appeal said it upheld the death sentence imposed on a former investigating officer for the murder of his lover 14 years ago to convey a clear message to all police officers of the need to uphold the law. Justice Wong Kian Kheong said all officers were required under Section 13 of the Police Act 1967 to take an oath. 'By murdering the deceased, the appellant had betrayed his declaration to 'obey, uphold and maintain' the law,' he said, adding that the bench exercised its sentencing discretion to affirm the punishment on grounds of public interest. Last September, a three-member bench chaired by Justice Supang Lian, sitting in Kota Kinabalu, dismissed Ahmad Rizal Umar's appeal against conviction and sentence for killing Kartini Borhan, 27. Also on the panel hearing the appeal was Justice Collin Lawrence Sequerah. Rizal, who held the rank of inspector, committed the offence at an apartment in Taman Andika, Keningau, between 4am and 5am on Sept 29, 2011. Wong delivered his 37-page written grounds earlier this week, paving the way for Rizal, 43, to exercise his automatic final right of appeal to the Federal Court. The judge said Rizal had used violence and great force to kill Kartini with a knife leaving the victim suffering 10 injuries, including a horrific second stab wound. 'After the murder, he attempted to conceal the offence by alleging that Kartini had been killed by an assailant who broke into the premises to rob her. 'Worse still, he had the temerity to make the false police report and had not shown any remorse,' he said. He said Rizal used his police training and work experience as an investigating officer to conceal the crime. According to the facts of the case, Rizal was in Kartini's rented apartment on the day of the incident but made it look as if a robber had broken into the premises and attacked both of them. Wong said a forensic pathologist gave evidence that Rizal's injuries were self-inflicted and not consistent with the consequences of a combative encounter with a robber. The motive for the murder was a love triangle as the deceased was alleged to have been having an affair with another man. In mitigation earlier, lawyer Ram Singh, who was assisted by Chen Wen Jye, asked for Rizal to be imprisoned and whipped, saying he was a first offender and father to two children. In response, deputy public prosecutor Amril Johari called for the death penalty to be retained as the accused was a law enforcement officer who had attacked his victim brutally.
Free Malaysia Today
3 days ago
- Free Malaysia Today
UK, India discuss ‘counter-terrorism' cooperation after Pakistan ceasefire
India blames the Kashmir attack on 'terrorists' backed by Pakistan, a charge Islamabad denies. (EPA Images pic) NEW DELHI : Britain and India today discussed expanding their 'counter-terrorism' collaboration following recent fighting between India and Pakistan, Britain's foreign minister told Reuters after meeting Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi. British foreign minister David Lammy is the highest-profile western official to have visited both New Delhi and Islamabad since the South Asian neighbours agreed to a ceasefire last month after their worst fighting in nearly three decades. The latest tensions began in April after the killing of 26 men in Indian Kashmir that New Delhi blamed on 'terrorists' backed by Pakistan, a charge Islamabad denied. India then attacked what it called 'terrorist infrastructure' in Pakistan, leading to escalation from both sides until a May 10 ceasefire. 'We want the situation to be maintained, but of course we recognise fragility, particularly in the backdrop of terrorism, terrorism designed to destabilise India,' Lammy said in an interview at the residence of the British high commissioner in New Delhi. 'We are keen to continue to work with our Indian partners on counter-terrorism measures.' He said he discussed the next steps with both Modi and Indian foreign minister S Jaishankar, but gave no specifics. Last year, India and Britain discussed combating the financing of terrorism, cooperation between law enforcement and judicial bodies and information sharing. Lammy said he also discussed boosting trade between the world's fifth and sixth largest economies. The countries concluded talks for a free trade deal early last month. 'I know that prime minister Keir Starmer is very much looking forward to coming to India very soon to sign the free trade agreement,' Lammy said. 'There is so much that our two nations can continue to do together.'
