Asif Nazrul Credits July Fighters for War Criminal Azhar’s Acquittal

Staff Reporter

Jamaat-e-Islami leader ATM Azharul Islam has been acquitted “without blame” in a crimes against humanity case. Law Adviser Asif Nazrul praised this outcome, attributing it to the efforts of the July fighters.

On May 27 (Tuesday), he made this statement in a post on his verified Facebook page.

In the post, Asif Nazrul wrote: “Jamaat leader ATM Azharul Islam has been acquitted of war crimes charges after being proven innocent. The Appellate Division of the Supreme Court, led by the Chief Justice, unanimously granted his review petition against the death sentence.”

He added: “Today’s verdict overturns both the International Crimes Tribunal’s death sentence and the Appellate Division’s earlier decision upholding it. The fearless leadership of the July mass movement created this opportunity for justice. It is now our collective duty to safeguard it.”

On May 27, a full seven-member Appellate Division bench headed by Chief Justice Dr. Syed Refaat Ahmed delivered the verdict. Lawyers Mohammad Shishir Monir, Barrister Ehsan Abdullah Siddique, Barrister Imran Abdullah Siddique, and Barrister Najib Momen represented Azhar in court.

The Crimes of Notorious Razakar ATM Azhar
ATM Azharul Islam was born on February 28, 1952, in Batasan Lohanipara village, Badarganj, Rangpur. His father was Nazir Hossain, and his mother was Ramisa Begum. After passing Matric from Rangpur Zilla School in 1968, he enrolled at Rangpur Carmichael College. During the 1971 Liberation War, Azhar was the president of Jamaat’s then-student wing, Islami Chhatra Sangha (now Chhatra Shibir), in Rangpur.

Case records show that before Bangladesh’s victory on December 16, 1971, Razakar Azhar fled to Saudi Arabia. He secretly returned after the August 15, 1975, assassination of Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman and later earned a Master’s degree from Dhaka University in 1980.

Military dictator Ziaur Rahman rehabilitated Jamaat-e-Islami in Bangladeshi politics, enabling Azhar to hold various party positions. In 1991, he became the Amir of Dhaka Metropolitan Jamaat and was appointed assistant secretary-general of the central committee in 2005. After the arrest of war criminal Ali Ahsan Mohammad Mujahid, Azhar briefly served as acting secretary-general. He was arrested on August 22, 2012, in a war crimes case.

The tribunal’s investigation agency began probing Azhar’s crimes on April 15, 2012. His trial started on November 12, 2013, with six charges of crimes against humanity. The prosecution alleged that during 1971, as the president of Islami Chhatra Sangha, Azhar commanded the Al-Badr forces in Rangpur, overseeing the massacre of over 1,400 people, mass rape, abductions, and torture.

Birangana Monsura’s Ordeal
After the death sentence was announced, Monsura Begum, the wife of a freedom fighter from Rangpur, reacted on Tuesday afternoon.

She said: “I thank Allah that this lecher Azhar received the death sentence. If it is executed, I can die in peace.”

In late August 1971, Azhar (then president of Islami Chhatra Sangha’s Rangpur unit) and three Pakistani soldiers abducted Monsura from her home. After assaulting her at home, they took her to a torture cell set up in Rangpur Town Hall. At the time, Monsura was pregnant. After 18 days of torture, she miscarried.

Upon hearing of Azhar’s death sentence, the elderly Birangana offered prayers of gratitude. She had testified against Azhar at the tribunal.

Monsura told the media: “I sat by the TV since morning to hear the verdict. After the death sentence was announced, I prayed two rak’ahs of nafl. I begged Allah for swift execution of this monster.”

Breaking down in tears while describing the Town Hall torture cell, she said: “Many women were held there with me. After brutalizing me outside, the Pakistani soldiers continued inside. When I lost my baby after 18 days, I fell gravely ill. Someone later returned me home. Since that day, I prayed for Azhar’s severe punishment. Today, that prayer was answered.”