Supreme Court starts hearing Azhar’s appeal against war crimes verdict

The Appellate Division has started hearing former Jamaat-e-Islami leader ATM Azharul Islam’s appeal that challenged his death sentence for 1971 war crimes.

Staff Correspondentbdnews24.com
Published : 18 June 2019, 06:31 AM
Updated : 18 June 2019, 06:31 AM

A four-member bench led by Chief Justice Syed Mahmud Hossain conducted the longstanding hearing on Tuesday.
 
This is the 10th appeal to the top court against the verdict of International Crimes Tribunal.
 

Lawyer Zainul Abedin Tuhin who defended Azhar pleaded more time for the hearing.
Turning down the request for more time, Justice Hossain said, “I’ve approved enough time. Why didn’t you prepare? You must start hearing today."
Tuhin then started reading out from the paperbook.
The state was represented by Attorney General Mahbubey Alam and Additional Attorney General Murad Reza.
The former Jamaat-e-Islami leader was sentenced to death for murders, rapes and genocide during the Liberation War in 1971 by the International Crimes Tribunal in 2014.
He filed an appeal seeking acquittal in the case within a month of the verdict. The Appellate Division subsequently ordered him to submit summary of his appeal on Aug 13, 2017.
The appeal hearing was scheduled for Oct 10, 2017 but the lawyer of the convicted leader pleaded for more time. But the case appeared on the apex court’s hearing list on Apr 10 after one and a half years.  
On the day, the chief justice scheduled the next hearing for Jun 18.