'Execution after order received'

The death penalty of Abdul Quader Molla will be implemented after receiving the Supreme Court'd order rejecting his review petition, a top prison official has said.

Additional Secretary Main Uddin Khandaker, who holds charge as inspector general of prisons, said on Thursday that they are waiting for the copy of the Supreme Court's order to reach them.

A full bench of the Appellate Division on Thursday rejected a review petition on Jamaat leader Quader Molla.

The verdict copy was sent to the prison authorities and home ministry and other related offices after it was signed by the Appellate Division judges, the Supreme Court registrar AKM Shamsul Islam said.

Main Uddin told bdnews24.com, “We had to postpone the execution after receiving the stay order on Tuesday. We can do nothing until we get the court order rejecting his review petition.

“We have watched everything on TV, but we will take steps after we are informed officially,” he said.

A Deputy Attorney General told bdnews24.com there would be no need to issue a fresh death warrant since the trial court of the case, International Crimes Tribunal, had already issued a death warrant against Quader Molla on Dec 8.

State Minister for Law Qamrul Islam had said on Tuesday Quader Molla was not seeking presidential clemency even if he had the opportunity to do that.

But Molla’s counsel Abdur Razzaq said his client had not refused the option of seeking presidential pardon.

He told reporters on Thursday the government would have to wait until publication of the full verdict of the Appellate Division.

"The government will do whatever it needs to do after the full verdict is out and follow the jail code," Razzaq said.

The Prime Minister’s adviser Shafique Ahmed said after the Supreme Court had published the full verdict of Molla’s death sentence that war crimes convicts are not allowed mercy for such crimes anywhere in the world.

Attorney General Mahbubey Alam said on Thursday Quader Molla had not responded to mercy petition and now there was no scope to do that.

“If he (Molla) wants it’s a different issue,” he said.

The International Crimes Tribunal - 2 had sentenced Molla on Feb 5 to life in prison for his crimes against humanity during the 1971 Liberation War.

Upon an appeal from both sides — prosecution and defence — the Appellate Division took up the issue and revised the sentence to death penalty on Sept 17.

The Supreme Court on Dec 5 published the full text of the verdict of Quader Molla’s death sentence.

Three days later on Dec 8, the International Crimes Tribunal issued Molla's death warrant and handed it to the prison authorities.

State Minister for Home Shamsul Hoque Tuku said on Tuesday Quader Molla would be hanged a minute after the midnight but his defence lawyers managed to get a stay from the chamber judge at the last minute until 10.30am on Wednesday.

The Appellate Division rejected the review petition after two hearings on Wednesday and Thursday.