Mir Quasem’s family says SC verdict on Jamaat leader bereft of legal basis

The Supreme Court verdict upholding death sentence for Jamaat-e-Islami leader Mir Quasem Ali has ‘no legal basis,’ family members of the war crimes convict claim.

In a statement, issued after the verdict, Quasem’s wife Khondokar Ayesha Khatun has been quoted as saying, “Is the judiciary at all independent?”

The top court on Tuesday confirmed the death penalty awarded to Mir Quasem by the International Crimes Tribunal for atrocities committed against Bangalees during the 1971 Liberation War.

The senior Jamaat leader, also known as the party’s financial backbone, now can file a petition for a review of the verdict. If that is turned down, only presidential clemency can save him from the impending death.

The statement sent to media by Mir Quasem’s family said, “Evidences and witnesses presented by the prosecution were not sufficient to prove him guilty, which is clear from the chief justice’s comments during the hearing.

“So, there is no legal basis for upholding the death sentence.”

Khatun alleged in her statement that ministers had threatened the chief justice in public and that the court had changed its decision several times prior to delivering the verdict.

She said the verdict ‘denied justice’ and that they would file for a review petition once the full verdict was available.