SQ Chy to inform lawyers on mercy plea

Condemned war criminal Salauddin Quader Chowdhury will convey his decision on seeking presidential clemency when he meets his lawyers, his wife Farhat Quader Chowdhury said today.
Farhat came up with the remark at a press briefing just after BNP standing committee member Goyeshwar Chandra Roy, at the same programme, said Chowdhury will not seek presidential mercy.
Meanwhile, Hummam Quader Chowdhury, younger son of the war criminal, told reporters that his father earlier told them that he will decide on the issue after talking with his lawyers.
“So, the family will be able to know about the decision when lawyers meet my father,” Hummam said.
But the lawyers were not allowed to meet Chowdhury, the son claimed.
"How can we say that the two magistrates who went to meet my father at the jail will speak the truth, he questioned.
BNP organised the briefing at the party’s chief’s Gulshan office in Dhaka.
According to a press release, today’s briefing was supposed to be conducted by Jamir Uddin Sircar, another standing committee member of the party, but he did not attend the programme.
Yesterday, the authorities asked Mojaheed and Salauddin whether the two would seek the mercy, the last option for them to avoid gallows. Both of them said they would inform the prison officials about their decision later.
On Thursday, the Supreme Court released its full verdicts that dismissed their petitions to review their death sentences originally handed down by two war crimes tribunals in 2013.
Later, jail officials read out the SC verdicts to the war crimes convicts.