Kamaruzzaman hanged
Jamaat-e-Islami leader Muhammad Kamaruzzaman has been hanged after being convicted of crimes against humanity committed during the 1971 liberation war.
Kamaruzzaman was executed at 10:30pm on Saturday, Dhaka metropolitan commissioner Asaduzzaman Miah told Prothom Alo.
His family members met him in jail for the last time at 4pm on the day.
Kamaruzzaman, assistant secretary-general of Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami, is the second such convict, who was hanged, after being sentenced to death by the International Crimes Tribunal (ICT).
On 12 December 2013, Abdul Quader Molla was hanged as the first case of execution of war criminal in Bangladesh’s history.
The move to execute Kamaruzzaman, the war crimes convict, was taken after he declined to seek presidential clemency.
The Supreme Court’s order rejecting the review petition was sent and read out to him on Wednesday, giving him the last option to apply for the president’s pardon. Kamaruzzaman’s lawyers met him in jail on Thursday and explained legal implications of the judgement leaving it to him to take a decision on filing a mercy petition.
Two magistrates reportedly met him on Friday when he gave the decision that he would not file mercy petition with the president.
Speculations over execution of the war crimes convict were running high on Friday night.
However, an order from the home ministry for executing the death sentence of Kamaruzzaman reached the Dhaka Central Jail authorities on Saturday afternoon.
On 5 April, the Appellate Division of the Supreme Court rejected the review petition filed by Kamaruzzaman seeking reversal of the verdict given by the Appellate Division confirming the death penalty.
On 3 November last year, the Appellate Division upheld Kamaruzzaman’s death penalty giving a precise verdict. On 18 February, the apex court published full text of the verdict.
On 9 May 2013, ICT-2 condemned Kamaruzzaman to death.
According to UNB, Kamaruzzaman’s body will be handed over to his family members for burial at his village home in Sherpur district.
The Jamaat leader’s brother, M Kafil Uddin, said Kamaruzzaman will be buried in front of Bajitkhila-Kumri Orphanage he set up alongside Bajitkhila-Gazir Khamar road in Bajirkhila union of Sadar upazila in Sherpur.