Executions by Aug, if SC okays verdicts
Information Minister Hasanul Haq Inu yesterday said one or two condemned war criminals would be executed in July-August if the Supreme Court dismissed their appeals and upheld their sentences.
Inu, president of Jatiya Samajtantrik Dal, was addressing a meeting of the convening committee of his party at the Samajtantrik Dal central office on Bangabandhu Avenue yesterday.
He went on the record to say, “The appeal process of one or two war criminals will be completed by June 30 as per law. If the Supreme Court upheld their punishment, the government will carry out the judgment in July and August.”
Inu said this after Home Minister Muhiuddin Khan Alamgir and minister without portfolio Suranjit Sengupta had been cautioned by the international crimes tribunal, set up to judge war criminals, earlier this year.
The two had apologised unconditionally before the International Crimes Tribunal-2, which asked them to be more careful about their statements.
However, Inu later told The Daily Star over the phone, “The government has no option but to carry out the verdict, if appeal process is completed at the Supreme Court by June.”
At the convening committee meeting of his party, Inu alleged that BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia had called for hartals to protect war criminals, money launderers and “great thieves”.
He urged Khaleda to remove opposition BNP's ties with Jamaat-e-Islami and sit for unconditional dialogue in parliament over formation of an election-time government.
The left-wing leader said Jamaat should be banned immediately for its “terrorist” activities following the delivery of verdicts in war crimes cases.
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