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
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 12th, 2015.
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