Shortly after walking free from prison after nearly 14 years, Jamaat-e-Islami leader ATM Azharul Islam on Wednesday said, "This sacrifice will guide the future of Bangladesh.” 

Azhar made the statement during a brief gathering at the capital’s Shahbagh intersection, hours after his release from Dhaka Central Jail. 

He was receiving treatment at Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib Medical University Hospital under prison custody when the Supreme Court ordered his acquittal on Tuesday (May 28).

The former assistant secretary general of Jamaat-e-Islami was convicted and sentenced to death by the International Crimes Tribunal in 2014 for atrocities committed during the 1971 Liberation War.

However, a full seven-member Appellate Division bench led by Chief Justice Syed Refaat Ahmed overturned the verdict, citing lack of conclusive evidence and procedural inconsistencies.

Addressing supporters, Azhar said: “This release is not just mine; it is the outcome of years of struggle. The truth cannot be silenced forever.” He added that his conviction was “politically motivated” and a product of “revenge-driven justice.”

He also praised the judiciary, saying, “Today’s court has stood for justice. But for many years, the justice system was weaponised for political persecution.”

Azhar also paid tribute to what he described as the “July Revolutionaries” and referenced the fall of what Jamaat calls the “dictatorial Sheikh Hasina regime” in August last year. 

“Their blood and sacrifice ended one-party rule and opened a new path for the nation,” he said.

Jamaat Ameer Dr Shafiqur Rahman and other senior party leaders joined him at the Shahbagh rally, hailing the acquittal as a historic moment.

Azhar pledged to continue working for “justice, people’s rights, and Islamic values,” saying, “We never bowed to injustice — and we never will.”

SMS/