Pakistan

Dhaka hangs JI leader for war crimes

Kamaruzzaman, 63 hanged at Dhaka Central Jail after Supreme Court rejected his appeal against death sentence

Reuters April 12, 2015

In this file photo, Mohammad Kamaruzzaman, leader of the Jamaat-e-Islami, sits next to a police officer as he leaves court in Dhaka on May 9, 2013. PHOTO: AFP

DHAKA: Bangladesh hanged Jamaat-e-Islami (JI) leader Muhammad Kamaruzzaman on Saturday for war crimes committed during the 1971 war, a move that risks an angry reaction from his supporters who called for a general strike.

Kamaruzzaman, 63, of the JI party, was hanged at Dhaka Central Jail after the Supreme Court rejected his appeal against a death sentence imposed by a special tribunal for genocide and torture of civilians during the conflict.

He refused to beg for a pardon from the president. The acting head of Jamaat-e-Islami, Maqbul Ahmed, said in a statement: "The government, in a very planned way, killed him in political revenge."

The party declared Sunday as a "prayer day" for Kamaruzzaman and peace and called for a general strike on Monday. The Border Guard Bangladesh paramilitary force has been deployed across the country to stem any sign of protest.

On Saturday, security was beefed up around the prison. All roads leading there were closed and security forces were patrolling in the capital.

Published in The Express Tribune, April 12^th, 2015.