Azhar’s death sentence review hearing on Jan 23

The Supreme Court's Appellate Division has scheduled a hearing for January 23 on the review petition filed by Jamaat-e-Islami leader ATM Azharul Islam, seeking reconsideration of his death sentence in a case related to war crimes, including murder and genocide, committed during the 1971 Liberation War.

The order was issued on Thursday (January 9) by a five-member bench of the Appellate Division, headed by Chief Justice Syed Refaat Ahmed.

Earlier, on July 19, 2020, Azharul Islam filed the review petition, outlining 14 grounds for reconsideration in the 23-page document.

On December 30, 2014, the International Crimes Tribunal sentenced Azhar to death. After an appeal, the Appellate Division upheld the death sentence on October 31, 2019, in a ruling delivered by the bench led by then-Chief Justice Syed Mahmud Hossain.

On that occasion, Senior Advocate Khondkar Mahbub Hossain represented the defense, while Attorney General Mahbubey Alam led the prosecution.

The full copy of the Appellate Division's judgment was released on March 15, 2020, after which ATM Azhar filed the review petition.