Notorious Razakar Azhar to Breathe Free, Acquitted “Without Blame”

Death Sentence Overturned, Jamaat Leader Azhar Cleared of All Charges

Staff Reporter | May 27, 2025

The Appellate Division of the Supreme Court has overturned the death sentence and acquitted Jamaat-e-Islami leader and infamous Razakar ATM Azharul Islam of all charges in a war crimes case.

After six years and a second round of hearings, the seven-member full bench of the Appellate Division, led by Chief Justice Syed Refaat Ahmed, unanimously delivered the verdict on Tuesday.

This ruling, issued in the context of the political upheaval following the violent events of July-August, marks the first time someone has been acquitted on appeal in a war crimes case after filing a review petition. Following the verdict, Azhar’s lawyers erupted in celebration in the courtroom, with chants of “Naraye Takbir” heard.

Azhar’s lawyer, Md. Shishir Monir, immediately claimed, “This verdict proves truth has triumphed and falsehood has been defeated.”

Attorney General Anik R Haque represented the state but refrained from commenting on the ruling.

In 2014, the International Crimes Tribunal convicted ATM Azharul Islam on six counts of crimes against humanity during the 1971 Liberation War and sentenced him to death. The Appellate Division upheld the verdict in 2019 during the first appeal. However, the current Appellate Division stated—

“The previous Appellate Division failed to properly evaluate the evidence presented in this case.”

Azharul Islam, a notorious perpetrator from 1971, was arrested from his Mogbazar residence on August 22, 2012, and had been imprisoned since. The current Appellate Division verdict has exonerated him of all charges and ordered his release unless he is held in any other case.

The previous verdict, issued on October 31, 2019, was fully published on March 15, 2020. Azhar filed a review petition on July 19 of the same year. On February 26 this year, the court decided to rehear the appeal after reviewing the petition. The verdict was scheduled for May 27 after concluding hearings on May 8.

At 9:55 AM on Tuesday, the judges announced the verdict.

After the ruling, Azhar’s lawyer Shishir Monir told reporters, “The court stated that the previous verdict had altered the criminal justice system of Bangladesh and the Indian subcontinent, which was a grave error. It also said Azharul was sentenced to death without proper assessment of the evidence presented. The court called this a ‘travesty of truth’—a miscarriage of justice in the name of law. The previous Appellate Division failed to properly consider the evidence.”

He added, “Today, ATM Azhar has been acquitted without blame. This is an unprecedented event not just in Bangladesh’s history, but in the world’s. We believe justice has been served, truth has prevailed, and falsehood has been defeated.”

Referring to the executions of six top Jamaat and BNP leaders in war crimes cases, Shishir Monir claimed, “At least five of them died in jail. ATM Azhar is fortunate to have received justice. This verdict ends syndicated injustice and upholds Bangladesh’s dignity.”

He further stated, “From now on, Jamaat-e-Islami’s former acting Secretary General ATM Azharul Islam is an innocent man.”

Shishir Monir mentioned they had requested a “short order” from the court, saying, “The court assured efforts to process the order today or tomorrow so that Mr. Azharul Islam can be released. We will take all legal steps for this.”

Following the verdict, Jamaat’s Nayeb-e-Ameer Syed Abdullah Mohammad Taher said, “I thank the court and the nation. Their struggles have yielded a clear and beautiful result today.”

Meanwhile, legal analyst and adviser Asif Nazrul reacted on Facebook, writing, “The credit for creating this opportunity for justice goes to the fearless leadership of the July mass movement. It is now our collective responsibility to safeguard this opportunity.”

The Crimes of Notorious Razakar ATM Azhar
ATM Azharul Islam was born on February 28, 1952, in Batasan Lohanipara village, Badarganj upazila, 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 the following year. During the 1971 Liberation War, Azhar was the president of Jamaat’s then-student wing, Islami Chhatra Sangha, in the district.

According to case records, Razakar Azhar fled to Saudi Arabia just before Bangladesh’s victory on December 16, 1971. He secretly returned after the August 15, 1975 assassination of Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman and later completed his Master’s from Dhaka University in 1980.

Military dictator Ziaur Rahman rehabilitated Jamaat-e-Islami in Bangladeshi politics, allowing 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 notorious war criminal and Jamaat Secretary General 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 war crimes on April 15, 2012. His trial started on November 12, 2013, with six charges of crimes against humanity. The case alleged that during 1971, as the president of Islami Chhatra Sangha (now Chhatra Shibir), Azhar commanded the Al-Badr forces in Rangpur, overseeing the massacre of over 1,400 people, mass rape, abductions, and torture in greater Rangpur.