The members of the family of Jamaat’s Assistant Secretary General Muhammad Kamaruzzaman who has been convicted of crimes against humanity by the International Crimes Tribunal and sentenced to death, saw him Wednesday morning, according to various sources.
Kamaruzzaman was earlier on Tuesday brought there from the Kashimpur Jail, a day after the Appellate Division of the Supreme Court rejected his appeal and upheld ICT’s death sentence.Family sources have told newsmen that they have not taken decision about seeking mercy from the President. They said Kamaruzzaman himself is expected to take decision after he receives full text of the verdict, Kamaruzzaman’s son Iman Hasan Wafy has been quoted to have said.
According to the sources Imam Hasan Wafy had applied to the Jail authorities seeking permission for the family to see Muhammad Kamaruzzaman.
Mentionably, Kamaruzzaman’s lawyers told journalists after the Supreme Courts decision to uphold ICT’s death sentence that they would prefer a review of the decision. Attorney General Mahbubey Alam however said that there was no scope of review of the SC decision as per the ICT law.
Imam Hasan Wafy told journalistists after emerging from the jail that his father convict Kamaruzzaman was not shaken by the verdict and told them that if he was hanged that would amount to killing, because he had fought for an ideal.
Nine members of the family saw Kamaruzzaman at the Jail. They included his wife, five sons, one daughter andone brother.- GreenWatch Desk
Law Minister Anisul Huq told a press briefing in the afternoon that he asked the Dhaka Central Jail authorities at to prepare for Muhammad Kamaruzzaman’s execution.
The Jamaat-e-Islami leader will get the time to seek pardon from the president, he told reporters at a press briefing on Wednesday.
The minister told a questioner that the government had informed the European Union, Canada and others that the government was not prepared to do compromise on the question of awarding capital punishment to those convicted to war crimes.
Meanwhile, the jail authorities are learnt to have prepared a mercy petition for convict Kamaruzzaman. The petitition would be given to him after the receipt of executive order from the government. Sources have said any convict facing death penalty can apply for president’s mercy. Kamaruzzaman would be given that opportunity in keeping with this practice. And so a petition has been prepared.
Senior Jail Super Forman has been quoted to have said that the petition would be given to Kamaruzzaman after they receive the executive order to execute the death sentence. If he agrees and signs the petition, it would be forwarded through the ministry of home affairs. If he doesn’t he would write he would not seek mercy. – GreenWatch Dhaka Desk
