SC seeks concise statement from defence

The Supreme Court on Wednesday directed lawyers representing war crimes convict Jamaat-e-Islami leader Ali Ahsan Muhammad Mojaheed to submit on December 19 a concise statement, containing the case summary and particular argument points, on his appeal challenging the death penalty.
A five-member bench of the SC Appellate Division headed by Chief Justice Muzammel Hossain passed the order.
The state counsels had submitted their concise statement against the appeal on November 24, Additional Attorney General and Coordinator of the prosecution team MK Rahman told The Daily Star.
Mojaheed filed the appeal with the SC on August 11. International Crimes Tribunal-2 on July 17 found the 65-year-old Jamaat secretary general guilty on five out of seven charges of crimes against humanity committed during the 1971 Liberation War.
The tribunal sentenced him to death in connection with three charges, jailed him for life in one and sentenced him to five years in prison in another.
According to the verdict, Mojaheed led a “death squad” named Al-Badr that worked as an auxiliary force for the Pakistani army in 1971.
Mojaheed was made a technocrat minister during the BNP-Jamaat-led four-party alliance rule in 2001 to 2006.