Bangladesh appeal court upholds death sentence for Islamic party official in war crimes case
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Bangladesh's Appellate Division of the Supreme Court has turned down a petition by an Islamic party official and upheld his death sentence for war crimes.
The decision was made Monday by a four-member panel headed by Chief Justice Surendra Kumar Sinha against Mohammad Qamaruzzaman, an assistant secretary general of Jamaat-e-Islami party.
It was the last legal roadblock to his execution. If he seeks presidential clemency and is rejected, he will be executed soon after.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}In November last year, the Supreme Court upheld a verdict of death sentence by a special tribunal for his crimes against humanity during the country's 1971 independence war against Pakistan. Later he appealed for a review.
Bangladesh blames Pakistani soldiers and local collaborators for the deaths of 3 million people during the nine-month 1971 war.