Bangladesh SC resets date of review on Quamaruzzaman's death sentence

Quamaruzzaman, was handed down the capital punishment last year for committing mass murder and crimes against humanity during the 1971 liberation war

Bangladesh Supreme Court today reset the date for review hearing of the death sentence handed down to a top fundamentalist Jamaat-e-Islami leader as his chief lawyer was unable to conduct the hearing citing "personal difficulties".

Muhammad Quamaruzzaman, 63, was handed down the capital punishment on November 3 last year for committing mass murder and crimes against humanity during the 1971 liberation war against Pakistan.

A four-member bench of the apex court, headed by Chief Justice SK Sinha, has fixed April 1 as the new date after hearing another new petition by principal defence counsel Khandker Mahbub Hossain who was "unable to conduct the hearing of the review petition due to unavoidable circumstances and personal difficulties".

"The Appellate Division (of the Supreme Court) was supposed to hear Quamaruzzaman review petition today, but it reset the date as the defence side sought the four weeks adjournment," an official of the apex court said.

The apex court, however, issued the full text of the judgment on February 18 and sent it to the Bangladesh's International Crimes Tribunal, which originally tried and sentenced Quamarazzaman to death.

Quamarazzaman sought a review of his sentence on March 5.

But Quamaruzzaman's lawyers said he would decide whether he will seek presidential mercy after consulting his lawyers if his review petition was rejected after hearing.

Quamaruzzaman was guilty of mass killing, murder, abduction, torture, rape, persecution and abetment of torture in central Mymensingh region in 1971.

According to one of the major charges of crimes against humanity, Quamaruzaman was convicted for the massacre of 164 people at a village at his home district in northern Sherpur.