War criminal and former Jamaat-e-Islami chief Ghulam Azam died on Thursday at Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib Medical University.
The 92-year-old Jamaat guru died at 10:10pm, Brig Gen (retd) Abdul Majid Bhuiyan, director of the BSMMU, told reporters at 11:55pm.
Abdul Majid Bhuiyan said the body would be handed over to the family according to the jail code as he died as an inmate.
He was kept on life support since 8pm. However, his death news spread in social media and some online newspapers quoting his family members and lawyers after 9:30pm.
Tajul Islam, lawyer for the former Jamaat chief, quoting family members around 10pm claimed that Ghulam Azam had died around 9:30pm.
The family members coming out of the ICU around 10:30pm expressed anger over the authorities’ delay in making the official announcement.
Ghulam Azam was shifted to the cardiac ICU from the prison cell around 11am. Suffering from diabetes and lunch complications, he was treated at the ICU twice recently.
He was sentenced to 90 years’ jail term on July 15 last year by the International Crimes Tribunal 1 on charges of committing crimes against humanity during the Liberation War. Even though
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An Appellate Division bench on Wednesday set December 2 to begin hearing of two appeals, filed by the convicted war criminal and the government challenging the tribunal verdict. Ghulam Azam sought acquittal while the government pleaded for death penalty and a ban on the anti-liberation Jamaat.
Senior Jail Super Farman Ali of the Dhaka Central Jail earlier said doctors were trying to cure the Jamaat leader.
Hearing about his health, reporters and photojournalists from different media houses, family members and Jamaat supporters gathered in front of the ICU since evening.
No special security measures were seen in the area until 10:30pm.
After the announcement, Tajul told reporters quoting family members that Ghulam Azam had wished to be buried beside his father’s grave in Moghbazar Kazi Office area.
The war criminal was sentenced to 90-year imprisonment on July 15 last year for the crimes against humanity, he had committed during the 1971 Liberation War.
The former Jamaat-e-Islami chief was handed down the sentence for incitement, conspiracy, planning, complicity and inaction to prevent murder at that time.
Even though the crimes are punishable by death, the International Crimes Tribunal 1 ordered the 90-year-old jail considering his age and health.
Ghulam Azam has been sentenced to 10 years each for the first two charges – conspiracy and planning; 20 years each for the third and fourth – incitement and complicity; and 30 years for crimes against humanity.
The charges were based on 61 incidents of crimes against humanity – five counts of conspiracy, three of planning, 28 of incitement, 22 of complicity and one count of murder and torture.
Believed to be the “greatest traitor” of Bangladesh’s history, the then Jamaat chief masterminded the formation and activities of auxiliary forces such as the Peace Committee, razakar, al-Badr and al-Shams, taking the side of the Pakistani occupation forces against the liberation forces. After the war, he campaigned abroad to prevent Muslim countries from recognising the newly independent state of Bangladesh.
The verdict has been criticised by pro-liberation groups, especially the youth, as well as freedom fighters and others who have been demanding death penalty for Ghulam Azam.
This is the fifth verdict by the two tribunals formed to deal with crimes against humanity perpetrated on the unarmed people of erstwhile East Pakistan in 1971.
SOURCE:DT
