SC to hear Azhar's review plea against war crimes conviction Feb 25
Court Correspondent
The Appellate Division of the Supreme Court (SC) today set February 25 for holding a hearing on Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami leader ATM Azharul Islam's petition, pleading to review its judgment that upheld his death sentence initially pronounced by the International Crimes Tribunal (ICT)-1 for crimes against humanity and war crimes in 1971.
The three-member apex court bench headed by Justice Md Ashfaqul Islam passed the order as Attorney General Md Asaduzzaman and ICT chief prosecutor brought the matter to court's attention.
The Appellate Division on January 23, 2025, had set February 20 for holding a hearing on the matter.
The defence on July 19, 2020, filed the 23-page review plea, seeking Azhar's acquittal on 14 grounds.
The Appellate Division of the Supreme Court on October 31, 2019, pronounced its judgment, upholding the death of ATM Azharul Islam. On March 25, 2020, the apex court released the full text of that judgment.
The ICT-1 on December 30, 2014, sentenced Azhar to death for his crimes against humanity in Rangpur during the War of Liberation. The tribunal in its judgment said it found him guilty in five of the total six charges it had framed against him.
Azharul Islam filed the appeal against his conviction on January 28, 2015.
