SQ Chowdhury’s appeal verdict fulfilled expectations, says Attorney General

The apex court’s verdict upholding death sentence for war criminal Salauddin Quader Chowdhury has ‘fulfilled expectations’, said Attorney General Mahbubey Alam.

“We expected the verdict to turn out like this in view of Salauddin Quader’s role in the large-scale war crimes and mass killings. We would have been terribly disappointed if it was otherwise,” he told reporters.
 
The four-member appeals bench led by Chief Justice Surendra Kumar Sinha upheld the death penalty for Salauddin Quader meted out in October 2013 by the war crimes tribunal.
 
The International Crimes Tribunal-1 ordered him death after finding him guilty in nine out of the 23 charges brought against the BNP leader by the prosecution.
 
Wednesday’s final verdict by the apex court acquitted him from one of the nine charges and upheld the sentences in the remaining eight charges, said Alam.
 
Chowdhury is the fifth to get a verdict on the appeal against the tribunal’s judgment and the fourth whose death sentence has been upheld.
 
Now the defence will get the chance to file a review petition within 15 days from the publication of the full verdict.
 
Once the review petition is resolved and the death sentence is upheld, the war crimes convict will have the opportunity to seek mercy from the president and meet family members.
 
If Chowdhury is denied clemency, the government will execute him after observing due formalities.