Jamaat announces countrywide rallies for tomorrow demanding release of ATM Azharul

The Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami will hold protest rallies and processions across the country tomorrow, demanding the release of its Assistant Secretary General ATM Azahrul Islam, who has been sentenced to death for rape, murder and genocide during the country's 1971 Liberation War during the Awami League regime. 

Jamaat's Secretary General Golam Parwar announced the protest programmes in a statement issued today (17 February), describing the judicial proceedings during the Sheikh Hasina-led AL regime as controversial, questionable and rejected all over the world.

The announcement comes amid a hartal programme announced by the Awami League tomorrow.

Azharul, a stalwart of opposition party Jamaat-e-Islami, was sentenced to death in 2014. In 2019, the apex court upheld the death sentence against the Islamist leader rejecting an appeal by the 73-year-old in a majority verdict. His death sentence, however, is yet to be executed.

"Tomorrow, on 18 February, peaceful protests and processions will be held in all the cities and districts of the country, including Dhaka, demanding the immediate release of Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami's Assistant Secretary General, the aggrieved public leader ATM Azharul Islam," Parwar said in his statement.

"Tomorrow at 4pm at Paltan intersection, Jamaat Ameer Shafiqur Rahman will lead the protest and procession organised by the initiative of Dhaka Metropolitan North and South," he added.

He said Azharul Islam has been detained in prison for more than 13 years.

"He has been repeatedly remanded and subjected to physical and mental torture. He fell seriously ill several times. He was not given even the minimum medical care," Parwar alleged.

"The countrymen had hoped that ATM Azharul Islam, a victim of extreme oppression and torture, would be released in a dictatorship-free Bangladesh. But despite the passage of six months and nine days since the interim government took power, ATM Azharul Islam has not been released," he stated.

"Keeping ATM Azharul Islam, who was arrested during the dictatorship, in prison is nothing but extreme oppression and injustice against him. The nation is surprised and shocked that he is still being detained in fascism-free Bangladesh," he said. 

During his conviction, prosecutors said Azharul was involved in the murder of 1,200 people in the northern district of Rangpur during the war as regional head of a pro-Pakistani armed group and student wing leader of Jamaat.

Defence lawyers, however, claimed the charges were fabricated.