Bangladesh: Jamaat-e-Islami leader's crimes verdict full text released

The Supreme Court today released the full text of its verdict awarding death penalty to Jamaat-e-Islami leader Abdul Quader Mollah for war crimes. The apex court published the judgement after all the five judges — Chief Justice Md Muzammel Hossain, Surendra Kumar Sinha, Justice Md Wahhab Miah, Justice Syed Mahamud Hossain and Justice AHM Shansuddin Choudhury Manik — signed the court order. The Appellate Division bench awarded death penalty to Quader Mollah by majority view while Justice Wahhab Miah gave Mollah to life term imprisonment. On September 17, the SC sentenced the Jamaat assistant secretary general to death, overruling his life imprisonment awarded by the International Crimes Tribunal. In its verdict, the SC said the death sentence is only appropriate punishment for Mollah for his heinous crimes against humanity. The nation has to bear consequence of the offences committed by Mollah for ever, it said. The release of the SC verdict may clear the way for its execution, court sources said. The government will execute the SC verdict as per the International Crimes (Tribunals) Act immediately after its certified copy is released, Attorney General Mahbubey Alam told The Daily Star yesterday. He said there was no scope for a review petition as per the Tribunals Act, 1973, under which Mollah had been convicted.