Bangladesh's Supreme Court rejected an appeal to scrap the death sentence handed to a senior Islamist leader, who was found guilty of genocide by a domestic war crimes tribunal.
Muhammad Kamaruzzaman, assistant secretary general of the Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami party has now lost his final appeal against the sentence, which was given last year for crimes committed during the Bangladeshi 1971 war of independence.
The decision was criticised by Brad Adams, Asia director of Human Rights Watch who said, “Bangladesh’s war crimes trials have been plagued by persistent and credible allegations of fair trial violations that require impartial judicial review.”
“Human Rights Watch has long supported justice and accountability for the horrific crimes that occurred in 1971, but these trials need to meet international fair trial standards to properly deliver on those promises for the victims,” said Mr Adams. “Delivering justice requires adhering to the highest standards, particularly when a life is at stake. The conduct of Kamaruzzaman’s trial cannot be said to have met those standards.”
During his trial, witnesses testified that Mr Kamaruzzaman led Pakistani soldiers to a village in the north of the country, where at least 120 people were massacred.
We need your support
Sri Lanka is one of the most dangerous places in the world to be a journalist. Tamil journalists are particularly at threat, with at least 41 media workers known to have been killed by the Sri Lankan state or its paramilitaries during and after the armed conflict.
Despite the risks, our team on the ground remain committed to providing detailed and accurate reporting of developments in the Tamil homeland, across the island and around the world, as well as providing expert analysis and insight from the Tamil point of view
We need your support in keeping our journalism going. Support our work today.
For more ways to donate visit https://donate.tamilguardian.com.
