Jamaat-e-Islami leader Motiur Rahman Nizami’s death warrant has been read out to the convicted war criminal at Kashimpur Central Jail in Gazipur.
The authorities of the jail read out the warrant around 10am Wednesday, soon after it reached the jail, where the Jamaat ameer is being kept.
Prohsanto Kumar Banik, superintendent of Kashimpur Jail part-2, confirmed the news to the Dhaka Tribune.
He said: “After hearing the warrant, Nizami said that he will file review petition after consulting the matter with his lawyers.”
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Death warrant for Nizami reaches Kashempur Jail
SC upholds Nizami's death penalty
SC upholds Nizami's death penaltyEarlier on Tuesday, the Dhaka central jail authorities received the death warrant around 10pm, soon after the International Crimes Tribunal issued it. Later, the Dhaka jail authorities sent it to Kashimpur jail.
The apex court the same day released the 153-page judgment after its four judges concerned signed the verdict that upheld the Jamaat chief's death penalty.
A copy of it was uploaded on the Supreme Court's website on Tuesday afternoon.
Tribunal Registrar Shahidul Alam Jhinuk said: “Three judges of the ICT signed the death warrant around 9:05pm. The copies of the death warrant have been sent to Dhaka Central Jail authorities, Dhaka District magistrate, Home Ministry and Law Ministry."
Attorney General Mahbubey Alam said the countdown would start from the day of receiving a copy of the full verdict.
Bangladesh's first war crimes tribunal handed Nizami death on October 29, 2014 on four charges and life imprisonment on four other charges. He challenged the verdict at the apex court.
On January 6, a four-member Appellate Division bench upheld the tribunal's sentence for the Al-Badr chief for masterminding the killing of intellectuals and involvement in two incidents of mass killing of over 500 people in Pabna in 1971.
His death sentences were upheld on three charges and life imprisonment on two charges. He was cleared of three charges.
Nizami is the third former minister after Jamaat leader Ali Ahsan Mohammad Mojaheed and BNP leader Salauddin Quader Chowdhury to get death penalty for his notorious role during the war.
Nizami led Jamaat's erstwhile student wing Islami Chhatra Sangha from 1966 to September 1971 and was the chief of Al-Badr, known as Pakistan army's death squad in 1971. Al-Badr members were exclusively drawn from Chhatra Sangha.
Throughout the war, he visited different areas of the country and delivered provocative speeches at rallies organised by Jamaat, Chhatra Sangha, Al-Badr and Razakars. He also wrote columns in newspapers justifying the formation of Al-Badr.
The militia, which called itself the “angel of death”, unleashed a reign of terror on pro-liberation Bangalees, killed unarmed civilians, raped women and destroyed properties during the war.
The auxiliary force of the Pakistan army made its worst example by systematically rounding up, torturing and killing the intellectuals to cripple the country at the fag end of the war.
Jamaat chief Nizami has never repented of the cold-blooded savagery. He was rehabilitated in Bangladesh politics after the assassination of Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman in 1975 and was made a minister during the BNP-led government 2001-06 tenure.
What is next
The government may start the procedure of executing the verdict after getting verdict copies and issuing of death reference. If his review petition is rejected, he will get a chance to seek presidential mercy. The execution processes will be halted till then.
If Nizami decides not to seek clemency or if the president denies it, he will be the second Al-Badr top leader after Mojaheed to walk the gallows finally.
