Bangladesh’s Supreme Court on 5 May upheld the death sentence of top Islamist party leader Motiur Rahman Nizami for war crimes during the 1971 Bangladesh Liberation War against Pakistan.
A four-member Appellate Division bench headed by Chief Justice Surendra Kumar Sinha rejected the final appeal of 72-year-old Nizami who is convicted of crimes against humanity.
Prosecutors stated that he was responsible for setting up the Al-Badr pro-Pakistani militia, which killed writers, doctors and journalists amongst others in the most gruesome chapter of the 1971 conflict. Nizami ordered the killings, designed to intellectually cripple the nation.
According to The Indian Express, The International Crimes Tribunal established by Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina’s government in 2010 sentenced Nizami to death on 29 October 2014. And an apex court in January 2016 found the punishment appropriate for him.
Security Increased in Dhaka After Verdict
The Supreme Court’s decision cleared the final legal hurdle for the government to hang the Jamaat-e-Islami chief, who is now left with the only option to seek presidential mercy. Clemency has never been granted to a war criminal and Nizami is likely to be hanged in a few days.
Security has been stepped up in Dhaka where tensions are high after the recent killings of liberal activists and religious minorities by suspected Islamist militants.
(With agency inputs.)