After execution of four war criminals, Jamaat-e-Islami chief Nizami's appeal is next to be settled

After the execution of four war criminals, the trial of death-row convict Jamaat-e-Islami chief Motiur Rahman Nizami is in the final stage.

The Supreme Court is hearing the Al-Badr militia force founder's appeal against his death sentence given by the International Crimes Tribunal (ICT) for the crimes against humanity he committed during the Liberation War.

Appeals of nine other war criminals against their sentences are also awaiting disposal.

The Appellate Division has been hearing war crimes case appeals on a first-in-first-out basis.

In this order, the court is likely to hear the appeal of Jamaat leader Mir Quasem Ali, said to have been the third man in vigilante militia Al-Badr’s command structure during the 1971 Liberation War, after Nizami's appeal.

Al-Badr commander and Jamaat Secretary General Ali Ahsan Mohammad Mujahid was hanged along with BNP leader Salauddin Quader Chowdhury for war crimes early on Sunday.

Constituted in 2010, the ICT is trying the crimes against humanity like murder, genocide, rape, arson, and conversion of Hindus during the Liberation War.

The number of tribunals had been raised to two when the number of war crimes cases had risen. One of the tribunals was made inactive in September this year as the number of cases dropped.

ICT has so far issued 21 verdicts, including six this year.

It is currently trying six cases and three other cases are awaiting trial after the end of investigations, Prosecutor Tapas Kanti Bal told bdnews24.com.

Of the verdicts issued so far, 17 were challenged in the Appellate Division. Four of these appeals have been rejected and the war criminals charged in these cases have been executed after disposal of their review petitions.

Besides Salauddin Quader and Mujahid, Jamaat assistant secretaries general Abdul Quader Molla and Mohammad Kamaruzzaman were hanged in December 2013 and April this year respectively.

The Supreme Court commuted Jamaat Nayeb-e-Amir Delwar Hossain Sayedee's death sentence to life in prison on hearing his appeal.

The case is yet to be reviewed, as the full appeals verdict has not been published.

Jamaat ideologue Ghulam Azam and former BNP minister Abdul Alim died during the hearing of their appeals.

Thus, the Supreme Court has so far disposed seven appeals.

Nizami's appeal hearing

A bench headed by Chief Justice Surendra Kumar Sinha started hearing Nizami's appeal on Sep 9. It heard the appeal for the third day on Nov 19.

Nizami filed the appeal against the death sentence on Nov 23 last year.

The charges against him include leading the execution of intellectuals, genocide, rape and loot during the nine months of bloodshed.

The ICT sentenced him to death on Oct 19 last year.

Attorney General Mahbubey Alam hopes the hearing of the Jamaat chief's appeal will end before the Supreme Court's vacation starts in mid-December.

"I will argue after the defence. I won't take much time. If it does not end [before the vacation], it will end after the vacation," he said.

Nine other appeals

Besides Nizami's appeal, nine other appeals in war crimes cases are awaiting disposal.

Those convicted in these cases include Jamaat executive council member Mir Quasem Ali, Assistant Secretary General ATM Azharul Islam, Jamaat Nayeb-e-Ameer Moulana Abdus Subhan, expelled leader of Brahmanbarhia Awami League Mobarak Hossain, Hobiganj Jatiya Party leader former state minister Syed Mohammad Kaiser, and Chanpainawabganj Razakars Mohidur Rahman, Forkan Mollick, and Akram Hossain.

Besides these eight cases, the State filed an appeal against Abdul Jabbar's sentence to jail until death, asking for a death sentence instead. The convict from Pirojpur is absconding now.

Five death-row absconding convicts did not appeal. They are former Jamaat leader from Faridpur Abul Kalam Azad alias Bachchu Razakar, Al-Badr leaders Ashrafuzzaman Khan and Chowdhury Mueen-Uddin, Faridpur BNP leader Zahid Hossain alias Khokon Razakar and Kishoreganj Razakar Syed Md Hasan Ali.