The Appellate Division of the Supreme Court has acquitted Jamaat-e-Islami leader ATM Azharul Islam, overturning the death sentence handed down by the International Crimes Tribunal (ICT) in a war crimes case.
The verdict was delivered on Tuesday by a full bench of seven justices of the Appellate Division, led by Chief Justice Syed Refaat Ahmed, following the hearing of Azhar’s appeal.
The top court has also ordered his immediate release if there are no other pending cases against him.
According to the chargesheet, he was accused of killing 1,256 people, abducting 17, and raping 13 women during the Liberation War in Rangpur region.
Besides, he was said to have tortured civilians, set fire to hundreds of houses and committed other atrocities.
The International Crimes Tribunal sentenced him to death on December 30, 2014, on five out of the nine charges.
On January 28, 2015, he submitted a petition to the Appellate Division claiming his innocence.
Later, on July 19, 2020, Azharul Islam filed the review petition with the relevant branch of the Appellate Division.
