Bangladeshi court issues death warrant against 1971 war crimes convict

Bangladesh's International Crimes Tribunal (ICT-BD) issued the death warrant against opposition Jatiya Party leader Syed Mohammad Qaiser, six years after his conviction in the crime.

The move comes a day after Qaiser lost his final appeal in Supreme Court's apex Appellate Division. "The death warrant has been sent to prison authorities while its copies were dispatched to the home and law ministries and Dhaka's district magistrate," ICT-BD registrar Sayeed Ahmad told newsmen.

Qaiser had independently raised an armed militia group having uniforms and named it after himself in northeastern Habiganj and carried out atrocities against those who were supportive of the freedom fighters as the Liberation War was underway. He challenged the death penalty before the Supreme Court's Appellate Division. Chief Justice Syed Mahmud Hossain chaired a four-member bench of the apex court and issued its verdict upholding the ICT-BD judgment on January 14 this year.

Qaiser now could seek a review of the final judgment by the apex court within next 15 days. Qaiser would also get a chance to seek presidential clemency. Bangladesh launched the process to expose to justice the war criminals in 2010.