DHAKA: The Appellate Division of the Supreme Court has started hearing on appeal petition filed by Jamaat-e-Islami Assistant Secretary General M Kamaruzzaman challenging the death penalty for war crimes during Liberation War.  

The hearing has begun in a four-member bench led by Justice Surendra Kumar Sinha on Thursday morning. 

Three other members of the bench are Justice Abdul Wahab Mia, Justice Hasan Faiz Siddique and Justice AHM Shamsuddin Chowdhury. 

Earlier, the bench deferred until June 3 the hearing on the appeal.

The SC on May 15 fixed May 18 for hearing the appeal filed by Jamaat leader Mohammad Kamaruzzaman challenging the death penalty awarded to him for committing crimes against humanity during the Liberation War in 1971.

On June 6, 2013 the Jamaat-e-Islami assistant secretary general appealed against a verdict of the International Crimes Tribunal-2 that had sentenced death penalty to him.

Defense lawyers also placed for Kamaruzzaman’s acquittal of the charges on 124 grounds in the 105-page appeal.

State side did not file any appeal to uphold the Kamaruzzman’s death penalty. Defense submitted summary of the appeal on September 29.

On May 9 last year, the International Crimes Tribunal (ICT)-2 handed down the death penalty to Kamaruzzaman as he was found guilty in five out of seven charges leveled against him.

BDST: 1315 HRS, JUN 05, 2014