DKAKA: The Supreme Court is set to deliver its verdict on Monday on an appeal filed by Jamaat leader Muhammad Kamaruzzaman challenging death penalty awarded by International Crimes Tribunal (ICT).
Kamaruzzaman has been enlisted in Monday’s cause list of the verdict of the Appellate Division of the Supreme Court.
On May 9, 2013, the ICT-2, led-by Justice Obaidul Hassan, awarded capital punishment to the Jamaat assistant secretary general for his crimes against humanity during country’s Liberation War in 1971.
The tribunal read out summary of the 215-page verdict in presence of Kamruzzaman.
Justice Shahinur Islam read out first part of the 651-article verdict while Justice Mujibur Rahman Mia read out the second part and Justice Obaidul Hassan the third part.
While reading out the verdict, tribunal chairman Obaidul Hasan informed the court that five out of all seven allegations brought against Kamaruzzaman were proved beyond doubt.
He was sentenced to death in 3rd and 4th charges—brought for the mass killing in Shohagpur of the Sherpur district and killing of Golam Mostafa.
On June 6, 2013, the war crimes convict submitted appeal to the apex court challenging the verdict of the ICT.
On September 17, a four-member bench of the Appellate Division led by Justice Surendra Kumar Sinha kept it waiting for verdict.
Three other judges of the bench are: Justice M Abdul Wahhab Miah, Justice Hasan Foez Siddique and Justice AHM Shamsuddin Choudhury Manik.
In the early morning of July 25, 1971, Kamaruzzaman advised members of Al-Badr and Razakar (another auxiliary force) to commit a large scale massacre, in association with Pakistani troops, in Sohagpur village of Nalitabari upazila, Sherpur.
The collaborators murdered 164 unarmed civilians, 44 of whom are named, and raped women.
On August 23, 1971, on Kamaruzzaman’s instruction, collaborators took Golam Mostafa, son of late Asir Uddin of village Gridda Narayanpur in Sherpur, to an Al-Badr camp.
The Jamaat leader and his accomplices brought Mostafa and one Abul Kasem to Serih Bridge and gunned them down.
Kasem survived as he jumped into the river but suffered injuries in his fingers. Mostafa died on the spot.
BDST: 0834 HRS, NOV 03, 2014
