Nizami to file review petition

Matiur Rahman Nizami

Death row convict Jamaat-e-Islami amir Matiur Rahman Nizami will file a petition seeking review of the Appellate Division verdict upholding the judgment of the International Crimes Tribunal, Bangladesh that had sentenced him to death on charge of crimes against humanity.

Nazami’s counsel Matiur Rahman Akonda disclosed the decision while talking to reporters at Kashimpur Central jail gate in Gazipur after meeting him, according to the UNB news agency.

Talking to the journalists, Nizami’s counsel said, “Nizami is dissatisfied over the Appellate Division verdict. My client thinks he would get acquitted after review as he was not involved in the crimes and the government has implicated him in the case only for political reason.”

Earlier, two lawyers of Matiur Rahman Nizami-Matiur Rahman Akanda, Mashiur Alam-and Nizami’s son Barrister Nazibur Rahman entered the jail around 1:30 pm and came out around 2:45 pm.

Earlier in the morning, the prison authorities read out the death warrant to Nizami at the Kashimpur Jail.

Basanta Kumar, senior jail super of Kashimpur Central Jail-2, said, “The copy of the death warrant reached the jail around 9:20am and it was immediately read out to Nizami around 10:15am.”

Nizami himself also read the death warrant and told the jail supper that he would file a review petition after discussion with his lawyers.
On Tuesday, the Dhaka-based international crimes tribunal issued the death warrant for Nizami for his war crimes.

The copy of the death warrant for Nizami reached the Dhaka central jail on Tuesday night. The Dhaka central jail authorities sent the death warrant copy to the Kashimpur Jail as war criminal Nizami is being kept there.

On 6 January last, a four-member bench of the Appellate Division, headed by chief justice Surendra Kumar Sinha, upheld the International Crimes Tribunal-1 order that sentenced Nizami to death for crimes against humanity, including genocide and murder of intellectuals, during the war.

On 29 October 2014, the International Crimes Tribunal-1 sentenced Nizami to death for crimes against humanity.

Nizami filed an appeal with the Supreme Court on 23 November 2014 challenging the death sentence and claimed himself innocent and sought to be cleared of the charges.

Source: Prothom Alo