Bangladesh prime court docket acquits Islamist chief on dying row: lawyer

Bangladesh’s prime court docket overturned a conviction towards Bangladesh’s Jamaat-e-Islami chief A.T.M. Azharul Islam. File
| Photo Credit: AFP

Bangladesh’s prime court docket on Tuesday (May 27, 2025) overturned a conviction towards a key chief of the nation’s important Islamist celebration, who had been on dying row since being sentenced beneath the regime ousted final yr.

A.T.M. Azharul Islam, from the Jamaat-e-Islami celebration, who has been in custody since 2012, was acquitted of crimes towards humanity by the Supreme Court, which ordered his launch.

Mr. Islam, who was born in 1952, was amongst six senior political leaders convicted through the tenure of Sheikh Hasina, whose 15-year-long autocratic rule as Prime Minister resulted in August 2024 when a student-led revolt compelled her to flee.

Political events, together with Jamaat-e-Islami, are readying for vastly anticipated elections which the interim authorities has vowed will happen by June 2026 on the newest.

Islam’s lawyer Shishir Monir mentioned he was “lucky” as a result of the 5 different senior political leaders who had been convicted — 4 from Jamaat-e-Islami, and one other from the important thing Bangladesh National Party (BNP) — had already been hanged.

“He acquired justice as a result of he’s alive”, Mr. Monir informed reporters. “The appellate division did not evaluate the proof in different circumstances for crimes towards humanity”.

Mr. Islam had been sentenced to dying in 2014 for rape, homicide and genocide throughout Bangladesh’s 1971 independence battle from Pakistan.

Jamaat-e-Islami supported Islamabad through the battle, a job that also sparks anger amongst many Bangladeshis immediately.

‘Seek your pardon’

They had been rivals of Hasina’s father, Sheikh Mujibur Rahman of the Awami League — who would grow to be Bangladesh’s founding determine.

Hasina banned Jamaat-e-Islami throughout her tenure and cracked down on its leaders.

Islam appealed in 2015, however the court docket upheld the decision in 2019, and he filed a evaluate petition in 2020.

Hasina, 77, fled to India final yr as crowds stormed her palace, and he or she stays there in self-imposed exile — along with her Awami League celebration itself now banned.

She has defied Dhaka’s extradition request to face fees of crimes towards humanity associated to the crackdown that killed at the least 1,400 protesters in her failed bid to claw onto energy.

With Hasina gone, Islam appealed his conviction once more, submitting an attraction on February 27.

On Tuesday (May 27, 2025), the total bench, led by Chief Justice Syed Refaat Ahmed, acquitted him.

Supporters of Jamaat-e-Islami celebrated. Leader Shafiqur Rahman informed reporters that the celebration was additionally remembering those that had been hanged.

“They had been the victims of judicial killings,” he mentioned.

“If they had been alive immediately, they may have led the nation in the proper route. People will all the time bear in mind their contributions to the nation”.

As political events jostle for energy, rivals of Jamaat-e-Islami have additionally questioned its historic position in supporting Pakistan through the 1971 battle.

“We, as people or as a celebration, aren’t past making errors”, Rahman mentioned, with out specifying additional what he referred to, and declining to take questions.

“We search your pardon, if we’ve got carried out something improper”.