The Appellate Division of the Supreme Court on Tuesday adjourned until May 8 the hearing in a petition filed by condemned war criminal and Jamaat-e-Islami leader ATM Azharul Islam seeking a review of the court鈥檚 earlier decision upholding his death sentence.
The seven members full bench chaired by chief justice Syed Refaat adjourned the hearing.
Lawyer Mohammad Shishir Manir, counsel for Jamaat-e-Islami leader ATM Azharul Islam, sought his client鈥檚 acquittal, arguing that the conviction was secured in violation of the International Crimes (Tribunals) Act, 1973.
He contended that the trial, held during the Awami League government鈥檚 tenure, failed to meet internationally recognised standards of due process for war crimes proceedings.
Shishir further submitted that Azhar was sentenced to death despite there was no eyewitness of Azhar鈥檚 presence and participation in the war crimes.
He further submitted that there were lot of contradictory statements of prosecution witnesses about Azhar鈥檚 participation and presence of the war crimes.
Shishir Manir will complete his argument on Thursday.
Azhar鈥檚 legal team moved to revive the appeal after former prime minister Sheikh Hasina was ousted on August 5, 2024 amid a student-led mass uprising.
Azhar filed a 23-page review petition on July 19, 2020, citing 14 legal grounds for reconsideration.
The Appellate Division had on October 31, 2019 upheld Azhar鈥檚 death sentence by majority verdict, affirming four out of five charges brought against him.
The full judgment was released on March 15, 2020, paving the way for the review.
Azharul Islam, a former president of Islami Chhatra Sangha, the then student wing of Jamaat-e-Islami, was allegedly the Al-Badr commander in Rangpur during the liberation war in 1971.
He was convicted by the International Crimes Tribunal on December 30, 2014, for committing atrocities including mass killings, abductions, and torture during the country鈥檚 liberation war.
The scheduled hearing comes amid a renewed nationwide campaign by Jamaat demanding Azhar鈥檚 release.
