SUPREME COURT SEALS FATE OF NIZAMI, CONFIRMS JAMAAT CHIEF'S DEATH SENTENCE FOR HORRIFIC WAR CRIMES
The Supreme Court has cleared the death sentence of Jamaat-e-Islami chief Motiur Rahman Nizami who orchestrated the massacre of Bangladesh’s best brains in 1971 using his ruthless Al-Badr militia.The verdict came as a wave of deadly assaults late last year on foreigners, secular writers and members of the Shiite community in the Sunni-majority nation raised international concerns that religious extremism is taking hold in the traditionally moderate country.
It is expected to aggravate the divide between moderate and extremist groups, but Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has consolidated her position by executing the war criminals, an act previously thought almost impossible because of the complicated nature of the crimes 44 years ago. The demand for trying suspected war criminals is popular domestically despite international concern over the trial process.Motiur Rahman Nizami, the Jamaat-e-Islami party head, was convicted last year by a special tribunal dealing with war crimes on 16 charges, including genocide, murder, torture, rape and destruction of property.
On Wednesday, a panel of senior Supreme Court judges, headed by Chief Justice Surendra Kumar Sinha, rejected Nizami's appeal, removing the last legal barrier to executing him by hanging unless he gets presidential clemency, which is unlikely.Attorney General Mahbubey Alam expressed satisfaction with the verdict. Defense lawyers said they did not get justice.The Jamaat-e-Islami announced a countrywide general strike for Thursday to protest the verdict, the party said in a statement.
The Supreme Court has cleared the death sentence of Jamaat-e-Islami chief Motiur Rahman Nizami who orchestrated the massacre of Bangladesh’s best brains in 1971 using his ruthless Al-Badr militia.The verdict came as a wave of deadly assaults late last year on foreigners, secular writers and members of the Shiite community in the Sunni-majority nation raised international concerns that religious extremism is taking hold in the traditionally moderate country.
It is expected to aggravate the divide between moderate and extremist groups, but Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has consolidated her position by executing the war criminals, an act previously thought almost impossible because of the complicated nature of the crimes 44 years ago. The demand for trying suspected war criminals is popular domestically despite international concern over the trial process.Motiur Rahman Nizami, the Jamaat-e-Islami party head, was convicted last year by a special tribunal dealing with war crimes on 16 charges, including genocide, murder, torture, rape and destruction of property.
On Wednesday, a panel of senior Supreme Court judges, headed by Chief Justice Surendra Kumar Sinha, rejected Nizami's appeal, removing the last legal barrier to executing him by hanging unless he gets presidential clemency, which is unlikely.Attorney General Mahbubey Alam expressed satisfaction with the verdict. Defense lawyers said they did not get justice.The Jamaat-e-Islami announced a countrywide general strike for Thursday to protest the verdict, the party said in a statement.
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