DHAKA: The Supreme Court on Wednesday upheld the death sentence of war criminal Jamaat-e-Islami Ameer Matiur Rahman Nizami on charge of killing intellectuals, mass killing and rape.
The 4-member Appellate Division bench of the Supreme Court led-by Chief Justice SK Sinha gave the verdict this morning.
The other members include-- Justice Nazmun Ara Sultana, Justice Syed Mahmud Hossain and Justice Hasan Foez Siddique.
The apex court also rejected the appeal petition challenging the verdict of International Crimes Tribunal that given death penalty to Matiur Rahman Nizami.
The tribunal awarded death sentence to Nizami in the second, fourth, sixth and 16th numbers of charges while he got lifetime imprisonment for four other charges.
Of those, the Supreme Court upheld death penalty of Nizami in three charges while lifetime imprisonment in two charges while in the final verdict, the war criminal was acquitted from three other charges.
Earlier on October 29 of 2014, three-member International Crimes Tribunal (ICT)-1 led by its chairman Justice M Enayetur Rahim, awarded death sentence to Matiur Rahman Nizami for his crimes against humanity during the liberation war of Bangladesh in 1971.
Other two judges were Justice Anwarul Haque and Justice Jahangir Hossain.
On November 23 of that year, Nizami appealed against the verdict.
Four charges for which Nizami was awarded death penalty are:
2nd charge:
On May 10, 1971 Nizami had a meeting with the local members of peace committee and Rajakar at Ruposhi primary school at Bousgari village at Sathia in Pabna where he announced that Pakistan forces would come to the area to ensure peace. According to the plan, the Pakistani army attacked the village and killed 400 people. Rajakars also violated 30 to 40 women there.
4th Charge:
Habibur Rahman Sarder, an inhabitant of Karamja village in Pabna, was killed by a group of Razakars at the order of Nizami.
On May 8, Nizami’s Al-Badr forces cordoned the village and killed nine people. Later, they abused a woman apart from looting and torching several houses
6th Charge:
At the behest of Nizami’s instruction, Rajakars and Pak Army killed 52 people including women and children at Dhulaurha village of Pabna on Nov 27, 1971.
16th Charge:
Al Badr killed innumerous intellectuals of the country. As the head of Al Badr, Nizami was responsible for the killing of intellectuals.
Nizami was, however, proved guilty in eight charges out of total 16 in the verdict, pronounced by the tribunal chairman Justice M Enayetur Rahim, in presence of the convict.
** Nizami appeal verdict in morning
BDST: 0914 HRS, JAN 6, 2016
RS
