Bangladesh: Protests Erupt as Islamist Leader Walks Free After Acquittal in Liberation War Crimes Case

Dhaka: Jamaat-e-Islami leader ATM Azharul Islam, once sentenced to death for crimes against humanity during Bangladesh’s 1971 Liberation War, was released from prison on Wednesday following his acquittal by the Supreme Court — a decision that has sparked widespread protests across the country.

The Supreme Court overturned the death sentence previously handed down by the International Crimes Tribunal (ICT), triggering outrage in parts of the nation, according to local media reports.

Azharul Islam, who had spent nearly 13 years in prison, was welcomed by party members and radical supporters at the jail gates before proceeding directly to a rally at Dhaka’s Shahbagh intersection.

This marks the first instance of a war crimes convict being acquitted through a review petition since the fall of the Sheikh Hasina-led Awami League government on August 5 last year, following a violent mass uprising, Bangladeshi news outlet UNB reported.

Violence erupted on Tuesday night at Rajshahi University, where clashes broke out between left-leaning student groups and members of Jamaat’s student wing, Islami Chhatra Shibir. At least 10 people were injured.

According to reports, the confrontation began when members of the Chhatra Shibir disrupted a torchlight protest march organized by leftist student groups, who were condemning Azharul’s acquittal. The situation quickly escalated into stone-pelting and violent clashes.

Rakib Hasan, president of the Rajshahi University Chhatra Union, alleged that around 200 Jamaat supporters attacked their group of just over a dozen students during the protest organized by the Democratic Student Alliance.

“The Democratic Student Alliance called for the torch rally to protest Azharul’s acquittal, which we believe undermines the spirit of the 2024 mass uprising. We were suddenly attacked three times during the march, and nearly all of us were injured — four of us seriously,” The Business Standard quoted him as saying.

Fuad Ratul, convener of the Socialist Student Front, added, “Four of our leaders sustained visible injuries. We strongly condemn this unprovoked attack following the verdict.”

Azharul was originally arrested at his home in Dhaka’s Moghbazar in August 2012 on charges of war crimes. In December 2014, the ICT sentenced him to death for five of nine charges, including mass killings, abduction, and torture in the Rangpur region, where over 1,000 people were reportedly massacred during the war.

He was accused of burning hundreds of homes, torturing civilians, and orchestrating large-scale violence during the 1971 Liberation War.

Azharul filed an appeal in January 2015, but in October 2019, the Appellate Division upheld his death sentence. After the final verdict was published in March 2020, he submitted a review petition.

On February 26, 2025, the court allowed the appeal to proceed. After considering the arguments, the Supreme Court ultimately acquitted him of all charges on Tuesday.

With inputs from IANS