SC upholds Mojaheed’s death sentence

The Appellate Division of Supreme Court on Tuesday upheld the death sentence awarded to Jamaat leader Ali Ahsan Mohammad Mojaheed for killing intellectuals in 1971, during the Liberation War. A four-judge bench chaired by Chief Justice SK Sinha, however commuted Jamaat secretary general Mojaheed’s death sentence to life-term for mass killing of Hindu people in Faridpur on May 13 in 1971. Mojaheed was earlier sentenced to death by the tribunal for killing Hindu people. The Appellate Division acquitted Mojaheed from the charge of killing journalist Seraj Uddin Hossain. The bench pronounced the short verdict at about 9:06am in a crowded court room amid tight security. Earlier on May 27, the Apex Court had set June 16 for delivering the verdict in the appeal petition of this death row inmate after completing the hearing of both sides. International Crimes Tribunal-2 on July 17, 2013, sentenced Mojaheed to death finding him guilty abetting the killing of eminent journalist Seraj Uddin Hossain and several other intellectuals in Dhaka on December 14, 1971. As the chief of the notorious Al-Badr force he was also found guilty of ordering the killing of the people of Hindu community at Bakchar village under Faridpur on May 13, 1971. The ICT-2 earlier had found Mojaheed guilty of five charges among the seven and acquitted him in two other charges. The tribunal sentenced Mujahid to death in three charges relating to killing intellectuals including the journalist and killing Hindu people. Mojaheed was sentenced to life-term for the charge of ordering to kill detainees at an army camp at old MP hostel in Nakhalpar in the city and was also awarded five year jail for confining and torturing Ranjinath alias Babu Nath. Meanwhile, the AD upheld Mojaheed’s conviction in four charges. It upheld Mojaheed’s death sentence for killing intellectuals. The AD however, commuted Mojaheed’s death sentence to life-term for killing Hindus at Bakchar village. The AD also upheld the tribunal verdict that had sentenced Mujahid for ordering killing detainees at an army camp at old MP hostel in Nakhalpara. The AD also upheld Mojaheed sentence for five year for torturing and confining Ranjinath Mojaheed’s lawyer Md Shishir Manir said that they are aggrieved at the verdict for which Mojaheed would file petition seeking review after obtaining the full copy of the verdict with 15 days. News Courtesy: www.newagebd.net