Muhammad Kamaruzzaman, assistant secretary-general of Jamaat-e-Islami party in Bangladesh on Monday lost his final bid to overturn his death sentence for atrocities committed during the 1971 independence war, clearing the way for his execution.
The Supreme Court upheld its previous verdict on Kamaruzzaman, 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 the Jamaat leader.
Attorney-General Mahbubey Alam said that there is no legal bar for the government to execute Kamaruzzaman for his crimes against humanity following the judgement.
Mr. Alam said Kamaruzzaman now could seek presidential clemency within a “logical timeframe”.
Bangladesh’s International Crimes Tribunal (ICT) in May 2013 sentenced Kamaruzzaman to death for committing crimes against humanity siding with the Pakistani troops during the 1971 liberation war.
Kamaruzzaman was found guilty of mass killing, murder, abduction, torture, rape, persecution and abetment of torture in central Mymensingh region.
The Supreme Court on November 3, 2014, upheld his death penalty. The apex court, however, issued the full text of the judgement on February 18 and sent it to the ICT, which immediately issued a death warrant.
But Kamaruzzaman on March 5 filed a review petition, exhausting his last option.
