Dhaka jail asked to prepare for Kamaruzzaman execution

The authorities of Dhaka Central Jail have been asked to prepare for the execution of condemned war criminal Muhammad Kamaruzzaman, the law minister said today.

The Jamaat-e-Islami leader will get seven days since hearing the verdict to seek presidential mercy, otherwise he will be executed immediately, Anisul Huq told The Daily Star this evening.

“Kamaruzzaman has to confess his guilt and seek presidential mercy within seven days after hearing his death verdict. Otherwise, the sentence will be executed anytime after the seven-day period,” he said.

On Monday, the Appellate Division of the Supreme Court upheld death penalty for Kamaruzzaman, awarded by a special tribunal on May 9 last year, for crimes committed against humanity during the Liberation War of 1971.

He was a key organiser of the infamous Al-Badr force responsible for abducting, torturing and killing freedom fighters, intellectuals and pro-liberation people in 1971.

According to the minister, Kamaruzzaman can be executed on the basis of the short order. “Certified copy of the Supreme Court order is needed to implement the judgement.”

Later, in a presser held at his Gulshan office this evening, the minister said that the jail authorities were asked to prepare for the execution of Kamaruzzaman.

“There has been a previous case where the Appellate Division dismissed the appeal review of Quader Mollah. Based on this context, we will assume that there is no scope for a review until a full verdict of the Appellate Division.”

“Unless there is anything otherwise in the full verdict, legally there is no scope for review,” he said. “And likewise, I have ordered the jail authorities to prepare for the execution.”

“As far as I know, Kamaruzzaman has heard of the SC verdict. The reasonable time period, seven days as per the jail code, for presidential clemency, will be effective from the day he heard about the ruling,” the minister said.

“Nothing will be done beyond the law,” the minister asserted.

In response to a relevant query, Anisul Huq said there was nothing in the jail code corresponding to executing a verdict based on the full verdict of the apex court. “There is only the mention of a short order. The jail authorities will execute a verdict after receiving the short order.”

The comments came at a time when the defence counsel of the Jamaat-e-Islami alleged that it would be illegal to execute Kamaruzzaman before the full verdict of the apex court.

On the note of concern of the international community over death sentence, the minister said his government “will not compromise with anybody over death penalty of war criminals.”

Meanwhile, Kamaruzzaman was already in Dhaka jail, brought in from Kashimpur prison yesterday afternoon – a day after the apex court upheld his death penalty.

Today, the family visited Kamaruzzaman in the prison.