Commute Nizami’s death penalty: EU

The European Union has called on the Bangladeshi authorities to commute the death sentence of the Jamaat-e-Islami chief Matiur Rahman Nizami, reiterating its position against the capital punishment.

Its delegation in Dhaka urged the government to introduce a moratorium on executions as a first step towards definitive abolition of capital punishment.

In a statement following the International Crimes Tribunal-1’s verdict, the EU, which globally campaigns against death penalty, has reiterated its opposition to the use of capital punishment in any circumstances.

The war crimes tribunal found Nizami, who led a vigilante militia outfit Al-Badr in 1971 war of independence, guilty of war crimes including the execution of intellectuals during the nine-month bloodshed.

The EU said they had followed the judicial proceedings in Bangladesh concerning the crimes committed during the war preceding the independence of Bangladesh in 1971.

“From the start of the trials, the EU delegation has repeatedly stressed its concern about the possible application of the death penalty under the International Crimes (Tribunals) Act.

“The case of Motiur Rahman Nizami has now reached a stage where an execution of the death sentence constitutes a serious threat,” it said.

“Despite Nizami’s right to appeal, the EU delegation to Bangladesh reiterates its principal position against the death penalty”.