Both prosecution, defence unhappy

The Supreme Court judgment on Jamaat-e-Islami leader Delawar Hossain Sayedee left the law minister and the attorney general unhappy. It did not satisfy the defence or the convict's family either.

Law Minister Anisul Huq said he was respectful of all apex court verdicts.

“But as a son of a freedom fighter, I am upset for the [death] sentence has been commuted [to imprisonment until death].”

Asked whether the court would allow filing of a review petition by the defence, the minister said he was unable to say anything in this regard until the SC released the full text of its judgment on the previous review petition filed before the execution of Jamaat leader Abdul Quader Mollah.

A petition had been filed seeking review of the death sentence handed down by the Appellate Division on Mollah. The court had rejected it but it is yet to release a copy of the judgment on the petition.

“We [the government] will never compromise with those who do not believe in the country's liberation,” Anisul Huq said.

A few more cases are awaiting judgment in the tribunal. After that, “I wish to bring changes in the prosecution team,” he added.

Expressing dissatisfaction over the Supreme Court verdict on Jamaat Nayeb-e-Ameer Sayedee, Attorney General Mahbubey Alam said the judgement did not fulfil his expectation.

“I expected that the apex court would uphold the death sentence of Sayedee delivered by the International Crimes Tribunal-1.”

According to him, both the prosecution and the investigation              agency handled the case negligently, as seen during the hearing on the appeal challenging the capital punishment.

The attorney general, however, said Sayedee had been unmasked in the verdict though he presented himself as a very religious and innocent person.

"It has been proved that Sayedee forced people to convert and that he was involved in rape and torture of women during the Liberation War in 1971.”

Asked whether Sayedee could be released if a political changeover took place, he said that if people remained vigilant about the war criminals trial, no government would be able to set him free.

The defence, however, view the judgment differently.

Senior defence lawyer Khandaker Mahbub Hossain claimed that justice had not been done to Sayedee.

In case of life imprisonment, a convict has to serve 20 years in jail, but according to the SC judgment Sayedee will have to serve in jail until death, said Khandaker Mahbub who is also an adviser to the BNP chairperson.

“We are aggrieved,” he said, adding that the defence would seek a review of the judgment after receiving its full text. 

MASOOD SAYEDEE

War crimes convict Sayedee's son Masood Sayedee in his immediate reaction said, “Justice was not done. We are not satisfied”.

“We hoped he would be acquitted,” he said, based on the documents the defence had submitted.

The chairman of Zianagar upazila of Pirojpur, Masood said they believed his father was innocent.