Jamaat-e-Islami amir Motiur Rahman Nizami. — AP photo
The Appellate Division on Wednesday upheld death sentence for Jamaat-e-Islami amir Motiur Rahman Nizami for planning the killings of intellectuals and mass killings in Pabna during the war of independence in 1971.
A four-judge bench, chaired by Chief Justice SK Sinha, delivered the verdict at about 9:10am in the morning pronounced the unanimous decision rejecting his appeal.
Other judges of the bench were Justice Nazmun Ara Sultana, Justice Syed Mahmud Hossain and Justice Hasan Foez Siddique.
The court upheld capital penalty in three charges, commuting death in one, and life imprisonment in two, commuting two other life imprisonment penalties.
Nizami’s death sentence was upheld in three charges for instigating Pakistan army and Razakar members to shoot about 450 civilians of Baousgari, Rupashi and Demra villages, Nizami’s involvement and responsibility for murders of 22 un-armed civilians by gun-shots in Dhulaura and abduction and killings of intellectuals.
The court upheld life-term imprisonment in 2 charges of killing Sohrab Ali and murdering freedom fighters Rumi, Badi, Jewel and Azad.
It also acquitted Nizami in 3 charges of Killing 11 and rape of 3 in Karmja, which he was originally given death for, and two other charges of torture and killing at Mohammadpur Physical Training Centre and killing of Kasim Uddin, in which he got life imprisonment for each.
Nizami can now file review petition against his death sentence after receiving certified copy of the judgement.
On December 8 last, the Supreme Court fixed January 6 for delivering the verdict on the appeal filed by condemned convict Jamaat amir Motiur Rahman Nizami.
On October 29, 2014, the International Crime Tribunal-1 sentenced Nizami to death on four war crimes charges, one related to planning and designing the intellectual killings and three others related to mass killings in his hometown Pabna.
Nizami filed an appeal challenging the death sentence and claimed himself innocent on November 23, 2014.
Later, Nizami’s counsel Khandker Mahbub Hossain told reporters that no decision of filing review petition against the Appellate Division verdict was taken yet. ‘It depends on my client. If Moulana Nizami asks me to file review petition, I will do it. But he might also refrain from seeking review considering that those who filed review petition against similar verdicts could not come out successful,’ he said.
Mahbub also said his client does not deserve death penalty as an abettor since the principal accused Pakistani military did not face any charge.
Attorney general Mahbubey Alam said now Nizami would get a chance to seek review of the verdict and if the court reviews it the verdict would be executed accordingly.
Source: New Age
