Bangladesh SC upholds death sentence of two wartime criminals

Dhaka, Nov 18  Bangladesh's Supreme court on Wednesday upheld its previous verdict on the death sentence of two war-crime convicts Ali Ahsan Mohammad Mujahid and Salauddin Quader Chowdhury.

The court rejected the pleas of Mujahid, secretary general of Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami party, and Chowdhury, leader of Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP), to review death sentences for crimes against humanity during the country's war of independence in 1971, bdnews24.com reported.

A bench of Chief Justice S.K. Sinha heard Mujahid's plea on Tuesday and Chowdhury's on Wednesday.

"There are no legal hurdles to execute the war criminals now," Attorney General Mahbubey Alam said after the verdict.

A special tribunal sentenced Mujahid to death on July 17, 2013, for the murder of intellectuals and his involvement in the killing and torture of Hindus in 1971.

The former social welfare minister had appealed to the apex court, seeking the revocation of his death penalty but the bench upheld the tribunal verdict on June 16.

Chowdhury was sentenced to death by a War Crimes Tribunal on October 1, 2013, for the mass killing and torture of Hindus and Awami League supporters.

The bench had upheld Chowdhury's death penalty on July 29 after hearing his appeal against the tribunal decision.

Mujahid and Chowdhury are now left with the last option of seeking presidential clemency.