Death sentence upheld [ Tritiyo Matra News ]

Death sentence upheld

Local November 19, 2015

The Appellate Division on Wednesday dismissed the review petitions of war crimes death row inmates Salauddin Quader Chowdhury and Ali Ahsan Mohammad Mojaheed.
The apex court decisions removed the last legal step on the way for their execution.
Lawyers said that now they could be executed in the Dhaka Central Jail, where they are lodged in death cells, unless they seek mercy from the president.
‘Dismissed,’ said Chief Justice Surendra Kumar Sinha twice delivering the single word unanimous decisions of a four-judge bench he chaired, in both the review petitions.
He gave the decisions in a crowded court room amid tight security.
The briefest decisions were given one after another within seconds since the bench resumed its sitting at 11.30 AM after a 30-minute recess.
The apex court decisions paved the way for the execution of death sentences of Salauddin and Mojaheed.
In the morning Salauddin’s review petition was heard by the bench for 90 minutes beginning 9 AM.
The bench comprising of Justice Nazmun Ara Sultana, Justice Syed Mahmud Hossain, Justice Hasan Foez Siddique heard Mojaheed’s review petition on Tuesday.
After the dismissal of the review petitions, attorney general Mahbubey Alam stood and prayed for ‘short orders.’
The Chief Justice said, ‘though not necessary, soon we will deliver brief orders.’
Since December 12, 2013, the apex court dismissed four review petitions of war crimes death row inmates.
Within hours of the dismissal of the first review petition, war crimes convict Abdul Quader Molla was executed.
Supreme Court registrar general Syed Aminul Islam told New Age Wednesday afternoon that he was yet to receive the orders of dismissal of the two review petitions.
The attorney general told a news briefing that the decisions of the apex court paved the way for the execution of death warrants issued by the International Crimes Tribunal-1 on October 1 against Salauddin and Mojaheed.
He said that the Dhaka Central Jail authorities would now inquire from Salauddin and Mojaheed whether or not they would seek mercy from the president.
If they want to seek mercy their petitions would will be forwarded to the president, said the attorney general.
He said that the law provided no timeframe for seeking clemency.
In the event of their refusal to seek mercy there would be no need to wait for their execution, he said.
Home minister Asaduzzaman Khan said the preparations to execute the death sentences would be taken once the legal processes were over.
Chief defence lawyer Khandker Mahbub Hossain, however, said the government can voluntarily pardon both the convicts.
Besides, he said, the Constitution gave the convicts the option to seek mercy from the president in seven days.
He said here he had nothing to say as whether or not they would seek mercy depended on them.
‘My father has been deprived of justice’, said Mojaheed’s son Ali Ahmed Mohammad Mabrur after the dismissal of the review petition.
He also said that the family felt disappointed.
None from Salauddin’s family was present in the court.
On June 16, the apex court verdict upheld Mojaheed’s death sentence for killing intellectuals at the fag end of the Liberation War.
On July 29, it upheld Salauddin’s death sentence.