On Tuesday, May 27, the Appellate Division acquitted Jamaat-e-Islami leader ATM Azharul Islam, who had previously been sentenced to death for crimes against humanity committed during the 1971 Liberation War. A seven-member bench, headed by Chief Justice Dr. Syed Refaat Ahmed, delivered the verdict, observing that the earlier death sentence had been issued without proper evaluation of evidence, resulting in a miscarriage of justice.

This marks the first time a war crimes case has been reopened for appeal after a review. ATM Azharul Islam was originally sentenced to death by the International Crimes Tribunal on December 30, 2014. He appealed the verdict on January 28, 2015, but the Appellate Division upheld the sentence on October 31, 2019. He later filed a review petition, which led to a rare decision by the court to reopen the appeal hearing.

Following the acquittal, Jamaat’s lawyer Shishir Monir told the media that truth had prevailed over falsehood and called the verdict an end to injustice. Jamaat leader Dr. Abdullah Muhammad Taher also expressed satisfaction with the ruling.