Mobarak appeals against death penalty

“The order to hang me has been issued … let the photojournalists take my picture,” said Mobarak to the police officers flashing a V as he was being taken back to jail after a war crimes tribunal convicted and sentenced him to death on November 24. Photo: Anisur Rahman

Convicted war criminal Mobarak Hossain today challenged the death penalty awarded him by a war crimes tribunal for his crimes against humanity during the country’s Liberation War in 1971.

Mobarok submitted an 82-page appeal before the Supreme Court seeking his acquittal of all the two charges on which he was found guilty. He also annexed documents of 780 pages along with the appeal.

The former Awami League leader also mentioned 77 grounds, which he said the court should consider for acquitting him of the charges.

The International Crimes Tribunal-1 on November 24 sentenced him to death for abducting and killing 33 people of Tanmandayl village of Brahmanbaria's Akhaura.

The three-member tribunal sentenced Mobarak to life imprisonment for the killing of Khaleque of Satian village on November 11, 1971. It, however, acquitted him on three charges of killing four other people.

After filing the appeal, Md Tarikul Islam, a lawyer for Mobarak, told The Daily Star that the SC will fix a date for hearing it later on.