Jamaat leader ATM Azharul walks out of jail after acquittal in war crimes case

ATM Azharul Islam, a senior Jamaat-e-Islami leader who was previously sentenced to death for crimes against humanity committed during the 1971 Liberation War, has been released from prison following his acquittal by the Appellate Division of the Supreme Court.

He walked out of Dhaka Central Jail in Keraniganj at 9:05am today (28 May) while undergoing treatment at Bangladesh Medical University Hospital in Shahbagh, where he had been admitted for the past several months. The information was confirmed by Md Jahangir Kabir, DIG (Prisons) of the Dhaka division to Samakal. 

Azharul Islam was originally convicted in 2014 by the International Crimes Tribunal (ICT) for six incidents of genocide, murder, abduction, and torture, and was sentenced to death and various other prison terms. However, yesterday (27 May), a full bench of seven justices led by Chief Justice Syed Refaat Ahmed unanimously overturned the ICT's verdict, acquitting him of all charges.

This historic decision marks the first time that an individual sentenced to death in a war crimes case has been acquitted by the Appellate Division through a review and subsequent appeal process. The court criticised the previous verdict as a "miscarriage of justice", stating that it was made without proper evaluation of the evidence.

Azharul had previously appealed the verdict in 2019, which was upheld by the then Appellate Division. After a change in government in August last year (2024), he filed a second appeal, which eventually led to his acquittal.

Azharul Islam was originally arrested on 22 August 2012 from his home in Moghbazar. At the time, he was serving as the Assistant Secretary General of Jamaat-e-Islami. His release now concludes a legal battle spanning over a decade.