Dhaka:
A top leader of fundamentalist Jamaat-e-Islami party in Bangladesh today lost his final bid to overturn his death sentence for warcrimes committed during the 1971 independence war against Pakistan, forcing authorities to step up security fearing protests.
The Supreme Court upheld its previous verdict on Muhammad Quamaruzzaman, rejecting his plea for reviewing death penalty.
“Rejected”, pronounced Chief Justice Surendra Kumar Sinha, a day after the four-member apex court heard the review petition of Jamaat’s 63-year-old assistant secretary general.
After the verdict, Attorney General Mahbubey Alam said that there is no legal bar for the government to execute Quamaruzzaman for his crimes against humanity following the judgement.
He said Quamaruzzaman now could seek presidential clemency within a “logical timeframe”.
Authorities called out paramilitary Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) to enforce a nationwide security vigil to prevent possible violent protests by Jamaat activists.
“The BGB troops will enforce a vigil with regular law enforcement agencies like police and RAB (Rapid Action Battalion),” a home ministry spokesman told reporters.
Bangladesh in 2013 had witnessed violent protests and counter protests when the tribunals pronounced its initial verdict on Quamaruzzaman.
Alam earlier said the ‘Jail Code’ which gives an ordinary death row convict a minimum 21 days for preparedness to walk to gallows were not applicable for condemned war criminals as they are tried under a special law beyond the purview of laws like the Criminal Procedure Code.
Bangladesh’s International Crimes Tribunal (ICT) in May 2013 sentenced Quamaruzzaman to death for committing crimes against humanity siding with the Pakistani troops during the 1971 liberation war.
Quamaruzzaman was found him guilty of mass killing, murder, abduction, torture, rape, persecution and abetment of torture in central Mymensingh region.
He was convicted of killing 164 people at a village in his home district in northern Sherpur.
