Appellate Division to resume hearing war criminal Mir Quasem’s appeal Tuesday

The Supreme Court will restart hearing Jamaat-e-Islami leader Mir Quasem Ali's appeal on Tuesday against his death sentence for war crimes.

According to the apex court's website viewing on Monday, the appeal is the sixth case on the business agenda of the Chief Justice Surendra Kumar Sinha-led Appellate Division bench for Tuesday.

The bench on Jan 6 fixed Feb 2 for the hearing.

The three other members of the bench are Justice Nazmun Ara Sultana, Justice Syed Mahmud Hossain, and Justice Hasan Foez Siddique.

This is the seventh war crimes case that has come to the top appeals court for resolution after the death penalty for Mir Quasem Ali given by the International Crimes Tribunal was challenged.

On Nov 2, 2014, the ICT handed down capital punishment to Mir Quasem, member of the Jamaat’s central executive council, for the crimes against humanity he committed during the 1971 Liberation War.

The judges sentenced the founding president of Jamaat’s student wing Islami Chhatra Shibir to death on two charges, after finding him guilty of killing young freedom fighter Jashim Uddin Ahmed and seven others.

He was also given a total of 72 years in prison on eight other charges.

On Nov 30, he filed the appeal pleading not guilty and sought a review of the judgment for exoneration.