War crimes convict Mir Quasem Ali appeal verdict on Mar 2

The Supreme Court has fixed Mar 2 to deliver the verdict on an appeal by Jamaat-e-Islami leader Mir Quasem Ali against the death sentence awarded to him for war crimes committed in 1971.

Court CorrespondentSupreme bdnews24.com
Published : 24 Feb 2016, 06:42 AM
Updated : 24 Feb 2016, 07:54 AM

The five-member bench led by Chief Justice Surendra Kumar Sinha concluded the hearing on Wednesday.

The Jamaat leader was awarded the death penalty by the International Crimes Tribunal for crimes against humanity on Nov 2, 2014.

A top financier of the party, he filed an appeal seeking acquittal on Nov 30 that year.

The appeal hearing began on Feb 7 this year.

Mir Quasem is said to have been the third man in vigilante militia Al-Badr’s command structure during the 1971 Liberation War.

Under his command local collaborators of Pakistan Army let loose a reign of terror to suppress the freedom struggle in Chittagong.

An executive council member of Jamaat, he was arrested on June 17, 2012 from the office of newspaper Naya Diganta less than two hours after the tribunal issued a warrant for his arrest.