BNP still has hopes for SQ Chy

After the top court upheld the death penalty for war criminal Salauddin Quader Chowdhury, his party still hopes that the judgment will be altered in review.

Jamir Uddin Sircar, a standing committee member of the BNP and a former speaker of the parliament, spoke of the “party’s hopes” to The Daily Star today.

“If the judges are not convinced beyond reasonable doubt in review, we hope that the judgment will be altered,” he said while shedding light on today’s Supreme Court verdict.

However, an official statement is expected in the press conference the party has convened for this afternoon around 5:00pm where spokesperson Asaduzzaman Ripon will speak.

“I and we (the party) are frustrated with the verdict,” Sircar said. “He (SQ Chowdhury) was a very vocal voice inside and outside of the party regarding any matter. He was a man of high status.”

“His loss will be a great blow for the party,” he added.

On another note, Sircar said BNP’s constitution "does not allow membership to anyone who has been sentenced for over two years".

For SQ Chowdhury, his membership in BNP will be no more if the presidential clemency comes to no avail, Sircar said.

Bangladesh’s apex court today upheld the death penalty for BNP leader Salauddin Quader Chowdhury for the crimes against humanity committed during the Liberation War of 1971.

Chief Justice Surendra Kumar Sinha pronounced the verdict within a short span of time after 9:00am this morning. Grounds of the judgment could not be known since the full text was not released yet.