DHAKA: The Appellate division of the Supreme Court on Tuesday sentenced Jamaat leader Abdul Quader Mollah to death for committing crimes against humanity during liberation war in 1971.

The five-member bench of the Apex Court led-by chief justice Md Mozammel Hossain passed the verdict at 9:37am after concluding the hearing on appeals filed against inadequate sentencing and conviction of war criminal and Jamaat leader Abdul Quader Mollah.

The others justices are Surendra Kumar Sinha, Abdul Wahab Mia, Syed Mahmud Hossain and AHM Shamsuddin Chowdhury.

The court started reading the verdict at 9:35am and finished 9:37am.

The court sentenced the Jamaat leader to death in sixth allegation of killing Hazrat Ali and his family members by gunfire at Mirpur Section-12.

The appellate division awarded life term imprisonment in fourth charge against Mollah in which the ICT-2 acquitted him.

In other allegations, the court upheld the ICT verdict.

On July 23, the Appellate Division of the Supreme Court (SC) kept the appeals waiting for verdict.

On February 5, International Crimes Tribunal (ICT)-2 sentenced Quader Mollah to life in prison for his involvement in crimes against humanity during liberation war in 1971.

While reading out the verdict, tribunal chairman Obaidul Hasam informed the court that five out of all six allegations brought against Quader Mollah were proved.

All but allegation of mass killing in different villages of Keranignaj during the liberation war was not proved.

The tribunal sentenced him life imprisonment in two charges and 15-year imprisonment in three other charges.

Later on March 4, Mollah filed an appeal with the Supreme Court seeking acquittal of the charges brought against him and also repeal of the tribunal verdict.

On March 3, the state prosecutors filed the appeal petition seeking capital punishment of Jamaat leader Abdul Quader Mollah.

On July 13 in 2010, Abdul Quader Mollah was arrested from the High Court gate in a murder-and-arson case filed with Pallabi Thana by an injured freedom fighter in January 2008.

On August 2 in 2010, he was shown arrest on charge of crimes against humanity.

On December 28 in 2011, the ICT took the formal charge into cognizance against detained Jamaat leader Abdul Quader Mollah in connection with his alleged involvement in crimes against humanity during liberation war.

On June 20 in 2012, prosecutors Mohammad Ali and Sultan Mahmud read out the 96-page opening statement accusing Quader Mollah.

On May 28 in 2012, the ICT-2 framed charges against Quader Mollah, detained for trial on charges of wartime crimes against humanity during liberation war in 1971.

In the opening statement, prosecutors informed the court that Quader Mollah was involved in killing of 344 people at Alokdi village of city’s Pallabi area, killing of Khandaker Abu Taleb, murder of seven people including Bangla College student Pallab, mass killing in different villages of Keranignaj during the liberation war.   

Mollah, 65, is one of nine Jamaat and BNP leaders facing crimes against humanity charges at the two tribunals formed to try war crimes cases.

The following are the crimes against humanity charges framed against Mollah:

On April 5 in 1971, on Mollah’s instructions, one of his aides named Akhter killed Pallab, a student of Bangla College and an organiser of the Liberation War.

On March 27, 1971, Mollah and his aides murdered pro-liberation poet Meherun Nesa, her mother and two brothers at their home at Mirpur-6 of Dhaka.

On March 29, 1971, Mollah, accompanied by Al-Badr, Razakars and non-Bangla speaking Bihari men, apprehended journalist Khondoker Abu Taleb and brought him to a place known as Mirpur Jallad Khana Pump House and slit his throat.

On November 25, 1971, an organized attack and indiscriminate shooting by Mollah and his cohorts killed hundreds of unarmed people of Khanbari and Ghatar Char villages in Keraniganj.

On April 24, 1971, Mollah led Pakistan army men and around 50 non-Bangla speaking Biharis into an attack on unarmed people of Alubdi village at Mirpur that left 344 people killed.

On the evening of March 26, 1971, under the leadership of Mollah, some Biharis and Pakistani soldiers killed one Hazrat Ali and five members of his family at Mirpur.

BDST: 0938 HRS, SEP 17, 2013
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