War criminals Azhar, Qaiser’s appeal hearing June 18

The Appellate Division of the Supreme Court (SC) today set June 18 for hearing appeals filed against International Crimes Tribunal (ICT) verdicts sentencing Jamaat leader ATM Azharul Islam and former state-minister for agriculture Syed Mohammad Qaiser to death, reports BSS. 

A four-member Appellate Division bench headed by Chief Justice Syed Mahmud Hossain set the date as the two matters came on today’s cause list.

The now defunct ICT-2 on December 23, 2014, handed down death penalty to Syed Mohammad Qaiser for his crimes against humanity committed in 1971 in and around Habiganj.

The tribunal had sentenced him to death as the 14 charges out of the total 16 framed against him were proved beyond any reasonable doubt.

Qaiser filed appeal against his conviction on January 19, 2015.

Meanwhile, the ICT-1 on Dec 30, 2014, sentenced Jamaat-e-Islami Assistant Secretary General ATM Azharul Islam to death for crimes against humanity committed in Rangpur during the War of Liberation. It found him guilty in five of a total of six charges.

Azhar filed appeal against his conviction on Jan 28, 2015.