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A. T. M. Azharul Islam

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A T M Azharul Islam
Acting Secretary General of Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami
Personal details
Born1952 (age 72–73)
Lohanipara, East Bengal, Pakistan
NationalityBangladeshi
Political partyBangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami
OccupationPolitician

ATM Azharul Islam is a Bangladeshi politician from the Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami.[1] He contested the 1996, 2001 and 2008 elections for the Rangpur-2 constituency in the Jatiya Sangsad but did not win.

He had served as the party's Secretary General until 2012, when he was arrested and charged with war crimes during the Bangladesh Liberation War by the country's International Crimes Tribunal. He was convicted by the ICT in 2014. His appeal was rejected by the Appellate Division of Supreme Court in 2019 but he was acquitted after a review by the Division in 2025.[2]

Early life

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Islam was born in Lohanipara village in Badarganj Upazila, Rangpur District.

Political career

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Islam contested the June 1996 Bangladeshi general election as a candidate of Jamaat-e-Islami from Rangpur-2.[3] He received 8,273, the third highest share while the winning candidate Hussain Muhammad Ershad of the Jatiya Party received 66,929 votes.[3]

Islam was the candidate of Jamaat-e-Islami for Rangpur-2 in the 2001 Bangladeshi general election.[3] He came third with 17,788 votes while the winning candidate, Mohammad Ali Sarkar of the Islami Jatiya Oikya Front, 91,921 votes.[3]

Islam contested elections from Rangpur-2 constituency (Badarganj and Taraganj) in the 2008 Bangladeshi general election.[4][5] He came second with 36,586 votes while the winning candidate, Anisul Islam Mondal of the Jatiya Party received 166,271 votes.[6]

In 2010, following the arrest of leaders of Jamaat-e-Islami, Azharul Islam stated:

We are observing the situation. The legal battle to free our leaders will continue along with a peaceful movement.[7]

Some leaders described the arrests as a moment of crisis for the party.[7]

In January 2011, He announced Jamaat-e-Islami was fielding 39 mayoral candidates who will contest elections against the Bangladesh Nationalist Party.[8] In February, as Acting Secretary General of Jamaat-e-Islami, Islam announced a series of strikes protesting against policies of the Awami League-led regime.[9] In June 2011, Islam called a joint 3 hour strike with Acting Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir protesting a recommendation by the parliamentary special committee on constitutional amendment to remove the neutral caretaker government system.[10] He was one of the accused individuals in a sedition case filed over comments on Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and Home Minister by Rezaul Karim, former president of Islami Chhatra Shibir.[11] He protested against comments by Manmohan Singh, the then prime minister of India, who accused Jamaat-e-Islami of being anti-Indian and accused Jamaat of being a partner of ISI.[12] He was detained on 20 September 2011 after violent protests by Jamaat-e-Islami activists over not being allowed to hold a rally demanding the release of its leaders.[13] The protests left 200 people injured, 28 cars burned down, 200 cars were vandalized along with roadside shops, and traffic was disrupted throughout Dhaka.[13] The police filed a case against party activists, including Ameer Mohammad Shafiqur Rahman, for assaulting police officers during the protest.[14]

War crimes trial

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Further information: International Crimes Tribunal (Bangladesh) and Timeline of the International Crimes Tribunal (Bangladesh)

Islam is accused of being a commander of Al-Badr's Rangpur branch during the 1971 Bangladesh Liberation War.[15] Al-Badr was a militia that collaborated with Pakistani forces during the Bangladesh genocide.[16]

On August 22, 2012, Islam was arrested in Maghbazar.[17] The International Crimes Tribunal (ICT) filed five charges of crimes against humanity, including accusations of genocide, murder, and abduction.[18] He was serving as the assistant general secretary of Jamaat-e-Islami.[19] His prosecutor at the trial was Nurjahan Begum Mukta.[20] His defence team was composed of senior counsel Abdur Razzaq, Mohammad Shishir Manir, and Imran Siddique. He was accused of being involved in the Jharuarbeel massacre in which more than 1,200 Hindus were murdered, a pregnant woman was raped at Rangpur Town Hall and a Mukti Bahini member and his brother were tortured.[21][22][23] A women testified that he was involved in the rape of a pregnant woman for 19 days at Rangpur Town Hall during the war.[15][24][25]

In December 2014, he was convicted for war crimes and sentenced to death by the ICT for his involvement in war crimes during the Bangladesh War in 1971.[26][27] He was acquitted of the charges of murder of 10 people in Rangpur but was convicted of rape at the Rangpur Town Hall and torturing the Mukti Bahini member and his brother at an Al-Badr camp.[26] The three-member tribunal was led by Justice M Enayetur Rahim and included Justice Jahangir Hossain and Justice Anwarul Haque.[26] His reaction after the verdict was, "... Allah will try you, Insha'Allah".[26] Jamaat-e-Islami called for a two-day strike (hartal) following the verdict.[26][28]

Islam's defense argued that the charges were politically motivated, but his appeals were rejected by the Supreme Court of Bangladesh in 2019.[29] The Appellate Division bench was led by Chief Justice Syed Mahmud Hossain.[30] Islam's principal lawyer at the appeal was Khandaker Mahbub Hossain, a politician of the Bangladesh Nationalist Party.[30] Amnesty International raised concerns about the fairness of his trial, citing irregularities in the proceedings.[31]

Following the fall of the Sheikh Hasina-led Awami League regime, Jamaat-e-Islami's ameer, Shafiqur Rahman, demanded that for the release of Islam and for the restitution of the party's registration.[32][33] Jamaat staged protests in Gazipur District demanding his release.[34] On 27 May 2025, he was acquitted by the Appellate Division of the Supreme Court.[35][36][37] On 28 May 2025, he was released from jail.[38][39] The court reviewed and found that the evidence on which the verdict in his case was based was unrealistic and fabricated and accusations of rape and murder lacked reliable proof, he was released in May 2025 after being proven as innocent.[37]

References

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  1. ^ "Jamaat leader Azharul acquitted from death penalty". The Daily Observer (Bangladesh). 27 May 2025. Retrieved 27 May 2025.
  2. ^ "Bangladesh top court acquits Islamist leader on death row: lawyer". France 24. 2025-05-27. Retrieved 2025-07-10.
  3. ^ a b c d "Parliament Election Result of 1991, 1996, 2001". 24 December 2008. Archived from the original on 24 December 2008. Retrieved 22 February 2025.
  4. ^ Report, Star Online (19 July 2020). "War criminal ATM Azharul seeks review of death sentence". The Daily Star (Bangladesh). Retrieved 3 October 2024.
  5. ^ "ICT fixes Azharul hearing". BDNews24. Retrieved 3 October 2024.
  6. ^ "Bangladesh Parliament Election − Detail Results". Amar Desh. Retrieved 22 February 2025.
  7. ^ a b "Arrests put Jamaat in deep trouble". The Daily Star (Bangladesh). 16 July 2010. Retrieved 22 February 2025.
  8. ^ "BNP to face Jamaat in 39 municipalities". The Daily Star (Bangladesh). 4 January 2011. Retrieved 22 February 2025.
  9. ^ "Jamaat programmes to free leaders from Feb 5". The Daily Star (Bangladesh). 2 February 2011. Retrieved 22 February 2025.
  10. ^ "BNP, Jamaat call 36-hour hartal". The Daily Star (Bangladesh). 11 June 2011. Retrieved 22 February 2025.
  11. ^ "Ex-Shibir president sent to jail". The Daily Star (Bangladesh). 21 June 2011. Retrieved 22 February 2025.
  12. ^ "Jamaat slates Manmohan's remarks". The Daily Star (Bangladesh). 2 July 2011. Retrieved 22 February 2025.
  13. ^ a b "Jamaat men run riot". The Daily Star (Bangladesh). Retrieved 22 February 2025.
  14. ^ "Assaulting policemen in 2011: Charges framed against 149 Jamaat-Shibir leaders, activists". The Daily Star (Bangladesh). 21 November 2023. Retrieved 22 February 2025.
  15. ^ a b Bemporad, Elissa; Warren, Joyce W. (10 April 2018). Women and Genocide: Survivors, Victims, Perpetrators. Indiana University Press. p. 184. ISBN 978-0-253-03383-3.
  16. ^ Sirajul Islam; Miah, Sajahan; Khanam, Mahfuza; Ahmed, Sabbir, eds. (2012). "Al-Badr". Banglapedia: the National Encyclopedia of Bangladesh (Online ed.). Dhaka, Bangladesh: Banglapedia Trust, Asiatic Society of Bangladesh. ISBN 984-32-0576-6. OCLC 52727562. OL 30677644M. Retrieved 10 July 2025.
  17. ^ "Jamaat leader Azharul held". The Daily Star (Bangladesh). 23 August 2012. Retrieved 22 February 2025.
  18. ^ "Bangladesh upholds death sentence of Islamist chief Azharul Islam". Al Jazeera. Retrieved 3 October 2024.
  19. ^ Dandekar, Deepra. Boundaries and Motherhood: Ritual and Reproduction in Rural Maharashtra. Zubaan. ISBN 978-93-85932-10-6.
  20. ^ "Jamaat leader Azharul held". The Daily Star (Bangladesh). 23 August 2012. Retrieved 22 February 2025.
  21. ^ "Bangladesh SC upholds death sentence for top Jamaat-e-Islami leader ATM Azharul Islam for war crimes during 1971 war". Firstpost. 31 October 2019. Retrieved 3 October 2024.
  22. ^ "Punished to the Maximum". The Daily Star (Bangladesh). 31 December 2014. Retrieved 22 February 2025.
  23. ^ "Jharuarbeel-Padmapukur genocide testifies crimes against humanity". The Daily Observer (Bangladesh). Retrieved 22 February 2025.
  24. ^ "Pregnant woman got no mercy". The Daily Star (Bangladesh). 31 December 2014. Retrieved 22 February 2025.
  25. ^ "He got pregnant woman raped". The Daily Star (Bangladesh). 4 March 2014. Retrieved 22 February 2025.
  26. ^ a b c d e "Punished to the Maximum". The Daily Star (Bangladesh). 31 December 2014. Retrieved 22 February 2025.
  27. ^ "Killing Teachers". The Daily Star (Bangladesh). 31 December 2014. Retrieved 22 February 2025.
  28. ^ "Jamaat calls hartal for Wednesday, Thursday". The Daily Star (Bangladesh). 30 December 2014. Retrieved 22 February 2025.
  29. ^ "Crimes Against Humanity: SC upholds Azhar's death penalty". The Daily Star (Bangladesh). Retrieved 3 October 2024.
  30. ^ a b "Crimes Against Humanity: SC upholds Azhar's death penalty". The Daily Star (Bangladesh). 1 November 2019. Retrieved 22 February 2025.
  31. ^ "Bangladesh: Political leader at imminent risk of execution: ATM Azharul Islam". Amnesty International. 17 March 2020. Retrieved 3 October 2024.
  32. ^ "'Release Azharul, restore party registration'". The Daily Star (Bangladesh). 19 February 2025. Retrieved 22 February 2025.
  33. ^ "Release Azharul Islam or prepare to imprison 3 crore people: Jamaat chief to govt". The Business Standard. 22 February 2025. Retrieved 22 February 2025.
  34. ^ "Jamaat stages protest in Gazipur, demands Azharul's release". The Daily Star (Bangladesh). 18 February 2025. Retrieved 22 February 2025.
  35. ^ "SC acquits Jamaat leader Azharul from death sentence in 1971 war crimes case". The Business Standard. 27 May 2025. Retrieved 27 May 2025.
  36. ^ "SC acquits death row convict Jamaat leader ATM Azhar". Prothom Alo. 27 May 2025. Retrieved 27 May 2025.
  37. ^ a b "SC acquits ATM Azharul in war crimes case". Dhaka Tribune. Retrieved 27 May 2025.
  38. ^ "Jamaat leader ATM Azharul Islam walks out of jail". Prothom Alo. 28 May 2025. Retrieved 28 May 2025.
  39. ^ "Jamaat leader ATM Azharul walks out of jail after acquittal in war crimes case". The Business Standard. 28 May 2025. Retrieved 28 May 2025.
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