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The appeal filed by Jamaat leader ATM Azharul Islam challenging his conviction and death sentence in a case filed over crimes against humanity and war crimes committed in 1971 is likely to be heard by the apex court on Thursday, as the Appellate Division ordered the matter to be placed on its cause list for that day.
A three-member apex court bench headed by Justice Zubayer Rahman Chowdhury passed the order today after the defence pleaded for a hearing.
Barrister Ehsan A. Siddique and Advocate Shishir Mohammad Manir argued for the convict, while Attorney General Md. Asaduzzaman represented the state. Advocate Gazi MH Tamim appeared on behalf of the prosecution of the International Crimes Tribunal (ICT), which initially convicted and sentenced ATM Azharul Islam in the case.
The Appellate Division on February 26 granted his leave-to-appeal petition, instructing the defence to submit the summary of their appeal within a week and the prosecution to submit their summary within the following two weeks. It also set April 22 for the hearing on the appeal.
The ICT-1 on December 30, 2014, sentenced Azhar to death for his crimes against humanity in Rangpur during the War of Liberation. The tribunal, in its judgment, found him guilty of five out of the six charges framed against him.
ATM Azharul Islam filed the appeal against his conviction on January 28, 2015.
The Appellate Division of the Supreme Court on October 31, 2019, pronounced its judgment, upholding the death sentence of ATM Azharul Islam. On March 25, 2020, the apex court released the full text of the judgment.