Death-row war criminal Nizami sent to Dhaka Central Jail

War criminal and death row convict Motiur Rahman Nizami has been transferred to Dhaka Central Jail from Kashimpur’s Central Jail-2.

Superintendent Jahangir Kabir told bdnews24.com that the Jamaat-e-Islami chief arrived at Dhaka Central Jail in Old Dhaka’s Nazimuddin Road around 11:50pm on Sunday, two days after he lost the last legal battle to save his neck.

Earlier, Kashimpur prison officials said a prison van carrying Nizami had left for Dhaka around 10:30pm under heavy security.

On May 5, the Supreme Court removed the last legal hurdle before the government to hang Nizami by rejecting his petition for a review of his death sentence.

The International Crimes Tribunal had given the former Al-Badr militia chief the capital punishment on Oct 29, 2014, for mass murders and rapes in Pabna and for the massacre of intellectuals during the 1971 Liberation War.

The now 72-year old man, from Pabna, was the chief of Islami Chhatra Sangha, then the student wing of Jamaat. He commanded the Al-Badr militia -- created by the Pakistan Army -- which was notorious for its ruthlessness.

On Jan 6 this year, the Appellate Division also rejected an appeal to overturn his conviction and the death sentence, which later led him to file the final review petition.

According to the rules, Nizami is now left with the option to seek presidential clemency.

If he decides against seeking mercy, or if the president turns down his clemency petition, the government will execute the death sentence.

Before Nizami, all death-row war criminals were executed at Dhaka Central Jail.

On Friday morning, 10 members of Nizami’s family met him at Gazipur’s Kashimpur jail.

The Jamaat chief was arrested on Jul 29, 2010, for allegedly hurting religious sentiments. But, on Aug 2, he was shown arrested for committing crimes against humanity during the War of Independence.

Since his arrest, he has been kept in different prisons, including High Security Central Jail and Central Jail-1 at Kashimpur, Dhaka Central Jail and Chittagong Central Jail, at different times.