Asif Nazrul hails Jamaat leader Azharul’s acquittal

Law Adviser Asif Nazrul has said Jamaat-e-Islami leader ATM Azharul Islam was acquitted of the death penalty in a 1971 war crimes case as he was proven innocent, and credited the July mass movement for paving the way for justice.

In a post on his verified Facebook page this afternoon, shortly after the Supreme Court's Appellate Division announced its unanimous decision to overturn the conviction, Nazrul wrote:

"Jamaat leader ATM Azharul Islam has been acquitted of the death penalty in a war crimes case from the Liberation War era as he was proven innocent. The Supreme Court's Appellate Division, led by the chief justice, has unanimously granted the review petition filed against his conviction."

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"Today's verdict nullifies both the previous International Crimes Tribunal verdict that sentenced Azharul to death and the Appellate Division's earlier ruling that upheld that sentence," he wrote.

"The credit for creating the opportunity to establish this justice goes to the fearless leadership of the July mass movement. It is now our collective responsibility to safeguard this opportunity," he added.

Azharul had previously been sentenced to death by the International Crimes Tribunal for crimes against humanity during the 1971 Liberation War. That verdict was upheld by the Appellate Division in its earlier ruling before being reversed today.