Appellate Division to rule Sept 7 on Abul Kalam Azad’s war crimes appeal

The Appellate Division will deliver its order on September 7 on whether the appeal filed by convicted war criminal Maulana Abul Kalam Azad against his death sentence will be admitted for hearing.

The Appellate Division, led by the Chief Justice, fixed the date after hearing the matter on Monday (August 31).

Barristers Ehsan Abdullah Siddiq and Nazibur Rahman Momen represented Azad during the hearing.

Azad filed the appeal on August 10 challenging the death sentence handed down by the International Crimes Tribunal in 2013 for crimes against humanity committed during the 1971 Liberation War.

The tribunal sentenced him to death in absentia on January 21, 2013, making it the first verdict in a crimes-against-humanity case since Bangladesh began prosecuting such offences related to the Liberation War.

Azad was accused of committing crimes against humanity at several locations in Faridpur during the war.

After remaining absconding for years, he surrendered before the International Crimes Tribunal on January 21 this year. Following his surrender, his execution was stayed for one year on the condition that he would appeal against the tribunal verdict.

Tribunal-2 subsequently directed the authorities to provide the necessary documents to facilitate preparation of the appeal.

Azad’s lawyer Mashiul Alam said at the time that the tribunal had sentenced his client to death in 2013. Following a petition to the President, Azad surrendered on the condition that he would be allowed to appeal, resulting in a one-year stay of the sentence.