Death sentence: Jamaat leader ATM Azharul’s review hearing deferred till tomorrow
A five-member Appellate Division bench, led by Chief Justice Syed Refaat Ahmed, started the hearing after 10am today (25 February) but decided to finish it tomorrow
The Supreme Court's Appellate Division has adjourned until tomorrow (26 February) the hearing of Jamaat-e-Islami leader ATM Azharul Islam's review petition against his death sentence in a 1971 war crimes case.
A five-member Appellate Division bench, led by Chief Justice Syed Refaat Ahmed, started the hearing after 10am today (25 February) but decided to finish it tomorrow.
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Barrister Ehsan Abdullah Siddique represented Azharul in the hearing, with a legal team that included senior lawyer SM Shahjahan, Advocate Mohammad Shishir Monir, and Barrister Najib Momen.
Azharul, a senior Jamaat leader, was sentenced to death in 2014 for his involvement in crimes against humanity, including rapes, murders, and genocide, committed during Bangladesh's 1971 Liberation War.
His death sentence was upheld by the Supreme Court in 2019, but it has not yet been carried out.
Azharul, who was a leader of a pro-Pakistani armed group and Jamaat's student wing during the war, was convicted for his role in the murder of over 1,200 people in Rangpur.
Azharul filed the review petition on 19 July 2020, submitting a 23-page appeal that outlined 14 legal arguments against the verdict.
