The Appellate Division of the Supreme Court has given death penalty to Jamaat-e-Islami leader and former al-Badr man Kamaruzzaman for committing crimes against humanity during the Liberation War of Bangladesh in 1971.
The four-member Appellate Division bench headed by Justice Surendra Kumar Sinha pronounced the verdict in response to an appeal petition filed by Kamaruzzaman, challenging the verdict of the tribunal.
Three other judges of the bench are Justice Md Abdul Wahhab Miah, Justice Hasan Foez Siddique and Justice AHM Shamsuddin Choudhury.
The Appellate Division acquitted Kamaruzzaman for Badiuzzaman killing under charge 1. Earlier, he got life sentence for the charge.
Kamaruzzaman Trial TimelineThe apex court upheld the tribunal verdict of charge no 2 and 7 by majority opinion.
Kamaruzzaman was sentenced to death by majority opinion under charge no 3 for Sohagpur mass killing.
The top court gave life sentence to the Jamaat leader under charge no 4 for Golam Mostafa killing. Earlier, he was awarded death sentence by the tribunal for the charge.
On June 6 last year, Kamaruzzaman’s lawyers filed an appeal petition, challenging the tribunal verdict.
On concluding hearing on the appeal on September 17, the bench kept the appeal waiting for verdict.
Kamaruzzaman was an al-Badr leader in 1971. He was also a top leader of the greater Mymensingh Islami Chhatra Sangha, the then student wing of Jamaat-e-Islami, and was also the office secretary of East Pakistan Islami Chhatra Sangha.
The second International Crimes Tribunal framed seven charges against him but the prosecution was able to prove five.
On May 9 last year, the tribunal found him guilty of mass killing, murder, abduction, torture, rape, persecution, and abatement of torture in greater the Mymensingh area in 1971.
