Nizami appeals to SC against death penalty

Jamaat-e-Islami chief Motiur Rahman Nizami yesterday challenged the death penalty awarded to him by a war crimes tribunal for his crimes against humanity committed during the Liberation War.

In his appeal filed with the Supreme Court, Nizami claimed himself innocent and sought acquittal on the eight charges he was found guilty.

International Crimes Tribunal-1 on October 29 handed him the death penalty on four charges of war crimes, including murdering intellectuals. The 71-year-old was also awarded life imprisonment on the other four charges.

Citing from the appeal, Shishir Manir, a lawyer for Nizami, told The Daily Star that the tribunal had failed to consider that Nizami was never associated with any auxiliary force controlled by Pakistan army in 1971.

Findings of the tribunal about Nizami were manifestly perverse and therefore the conviction and sentence given to him were liable to be set aside and the appellant was liable to be acquitted, he said, quoting the appeal.

Shishir said Nizami in his 121-page appeal mentioned 168 grounds to establish his innocence.

Total 6,252 pages of documents were annexed with the appeal, he said, adding that the Supreme Court would now fix a date for hearing the appeal.

Meanwhile, Attorney General Mahbubey Alam yesterday told reporters that the government would not file any appeal with the Supreme Court against the tribunal verdict on Nizami, as it was satisfied with the verdict.

He also said his office would place arguments before the apex court to defend the tribunal verdict.

Tribunal-1 in the verdict said it was well-proved that the accused being the chief of Islami Chhatra Sangha and Al-Badr force whole-heartedly resisted the War of Liberation and also actively participated in the crimes against humanity in 1971.