The government yesterday lodged an appeal against the International Crimes Tribunal verdict, which sentenced the former Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami chief Ghulam Azam to “only 90 years in prison” for masterminding crimes against humanity, genocide and other offences during the Liberation War.
Terming the jail sentence as inadequate, the appeal sought the Jamaat kingpin’s death penalty. Syed Mabubar Rahman filed the appeal with the Appellate Division of the Supreme Court around 3pm. A ban on Jamaat-e-Islami as a political party for its anti-liberation stance was also sought in the appeal.
On July 15, the International Crimes Tribunal 1, headed by Justice ATM Fazle Kabir, found Azam guilty of all the five charges of war crimes – conspiracy, planning, incitement, complicity and not to prevent murder.
Although the tribunal said the former Jamaat chief deserved capital punishment, it gave him 90 years in prison considering Ghulam Azam’s age and long ailment. He was 91 years old at the time of the verdict.
According to the International Crimes (Tribunals) Act 1973, the aggrieved party must file an appeal within 30 days from the pronouncement of the judgement.
Following the appeal, Additional Attorney General and Chief Coordinator of the war crimes prosecution team, MK Rahman said at a press briefing that the appeal had been filed under the amended International Crimes (Tribunal) Act, which cleared the way for the government to appeal against inadequate punishment given by the war crimes tribunal to a convict.
In the government’s appeal, it was said, the tribunal had acted beyond the law by considering the age and sickness of the convicted Jamaat leader as the law requires punishment be given considering ones gravity of offences.
On August 5, Azam filed an appeal against the verdict with the Appellate Division seeking acquittal.
The hearing on the appeals against the verdict will begin after the conclusion of the hearing on the appeals filed by Delawar Hossain Sayedee and Mohammad Kamaruzzaman.
Both Sayedee and Kamaruzzaman were handed death sentences by the tribunal for committing crimes against humanity during the Liberation War. A five-member bench of the Appellate Division, led by Chief Justice Md Muzammel Hossain, fixed September 17 to start the appeal hearing on the Sayedee case.