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The Appellate Division on Tuesday stayed the hearing of a review petition submitted by death-row convict and Jamaat-e-Islami leader ATM Azharul Islam in cases over ‘crimes against humanity’ during the 1971 Liberation War till May 6.
A full bench headed by Chief Justice Dr Syed Refaat Ahmed deferred the hearing date for the third consecutive time, setting the fresh schedule.
Lawyers Ahsan A. Siddik and Mohammad Shishir Manir stood for Azharul Islam in the court during the hearing.
Initially set for February 20, then rescheduled to February 25, the review hearing—despite being slated for today—has now been deferred by the apex court to May 6.
Following his arrest, Jamaat-e-Islami leader ATM Azhar faced nine charges of “crimes against humanity.”
According to the chargesheet, he was “responsible” for killing 1,256 people, abducting 17, and raping 13 women during the Liberation War in the Rangpur region.
Besides, he was said to have tortured civilians, set fire to hundreds of houses, and committed other atrocities.
The International Crimes Tribunal sentenced him to death on December 30, 2014, on five out of the nine charges.
On January 28, 2015, the death-row convict submitted a petition to the Appellate Division, claiming his innocence. Later, on July 19, 2020, Azharul Islam filed the review petition with the relevant branch of the Appellate Division.
Following an appeal hearing, the Appellate Division, under a bench led by then-Chief Justice Syed Mahmud, upheld the death penalty in a verdict delivered on October 23, 2019.
The full text of the Appellate Division’s verdict was released on March 15, 2020, after which ATM Azhar submitted the review petition.