The prosecution on Monday concluded arguments on the appeal filed by condemned war crimes convict Jamaat Ameer Matiur Rahman Nizami challenging his death penalty for war crimes during the Liberation War in 1971 at the Appellate Division of the Supreme Court (SC).A four-member bench of the Appellate Division, headed by Chief Justice Surendra Kumar Sinha, heard the augments placed by Attorney General Mahbubey Alam.
The Attorney General told reporters that they placed their strong arguments during the hearing to uphold Nizami’s death penalty for his crimes against humanity.
He also said the court will hear defence counsel’s counter arguments on Tuesday.
Earlier on December 2, the condemned war crimes convict appealed for reducing his punishment after confessing to his guilt.
On that day, Nizami’s counsel Khandaker Mahabub Hossain also prayed to the apex court for releasing him and giving him any other punishment instead of capital punishment considering his age and physical condition.
On November 25, a four-member bench of the Appellate Division, headed by Chief Justice Surendra Kumar Sinha, set November 30 to start placing arguments in the appeal case of Nizami.
On October 29 last year, the International Crimes Tribunal-1 sentenced Nizami to death for crimes against humanity, including genocide and the murder of intellectuals, during the Liberation War in 1971.
The tribunal sentenced Nizami, the 1971 commander-in-chief of Al Badr, a secret killing squad of Jamaate-e-Islami, the capital punishment each on four counts of charges of war crimes, terming Al Badr a criminal outfit.
Nizami filed an appeal challenging the death sentence and claimed himself innocent and sought to be cleared of the charges on November 23, 2014.
