Supreme Court's Appellate Division has scheduled a crucial hearing for Tuesday (25 February) to review the death sentence of ATM Azharul Islam, a senior figure in the Jamaat-e-Islami party convicted of crimes against humanity during the nation's 1971 War of Liberation.
The hearing date was fixed on Sunday (23 February) by a judicial bench headed by Justice Ashfaqul Islam, following submissions from Attorney General Md Asaduzzaman.
Both the International Crimes Tribunal's Chief Prosecutor Mohammad Tazul Islam and Azharul's defence counsel Mohammad Shishir Monir were present during the proceedings.
Azharul, a former leader of a pro-Pakistani militant group and Jamaat's student wing, was found guilty in 2014 of orchestrating mass killings, rapes, and genocide.
His conviction specifically related to the murders of more than 1,200 people in Rangpur during the independence struggle.
Supreme Court upheld his death sentence in 2019, though it remains unexecuted.
The case has sparked considerable political tension, with Jamaat-e-Islami staging protests in Dhaka and other cities on 18 February, demanding Azharul's release.
In a significant escalation, the party's leader, Dr Shafiqur Rahman, issued a stark warning to the interim government on Friday, claiming they would need to imprison "three crore adult citizens" who support Jamaat if Azharul remained incarcerated.
In a dramatic development, the Jamaat chief has announced his intention to surrender himself to law enforcement authorities on the day of the hearing, vowing to remain imprisoned until Azharul's release.
"Release me a day after Azharul Islam is freed," Dr Shafiqur Rahman declared in his message to authorities.
The review petition was originally listed for hearing on 20 February but faced delays, prompting the Attorney General to stress before the court that "the petition needs to be heard," leading to Tuesday's scheduled hearing.
