DHAKA: War crimes convict Mir Quasem Ali has filed a review petition against the Supreme Court verdict that upheld his death sentence awarded by the International Crimes Tribunal for his crimes against humanity during the liberation war in 1971.

His lawyers submitted the plea to Appellate Division on Sunday (June 19) showing 14 reasons to acquit him from war crime charges.

On June 6, 2016, the International Crimes Tribunal (ICT) issued a death warrant for Jamaat financier Mir Quasem Ali several hours after the Supreme Court released the full text of the verdict.

Known as ‘Bengali Khan Saheb’ for his brutality in 1971, Quasem is the sixth war criminal to have received SC order upholding death sentence. 

Five others have already been executed. They are Jamaat leaders Abdul Kader Mollah, Muhammad Quamaruzzaman, Ali Ahsan Muhammad Mojaheed, Motiur Rahman Nizami and BNP stalwart Salahuddin Quader Chowdhury.

On November 2, 2014, the International Crimes Tribunal (ICT) sentenced Mir Quasem to death. The SC upheld his death sentence rejecting his appeal against the verdict on March 8 this year.

While awarding the death sentence, the ICT observed that the magnitude of atrocities committed by Mir Quasem earned him the title of ‘Bengali Khan Saheb’. He was the head of infamous Al-Badr and president of Islami Chhatra Sangha (ICS) of greater Chittagong. He was the founding president of Islami Chhatra Shibir.

Mir Quasem Ali was sentenced to death on two counts of charges for masterminding the killing of freedom fighter Jasim, Ranjit Das Luthu and Tontu Sen Prakash Raju at Dalim Hotel torture cell in Chittagong.

BDST: 1352 HRS, June 19, 2016
AKA/SMS