Muhammad Kamaruzzaman

In 1971, Kamruzzaman was a college student.[7] He is also alleged to be member of the Islami Chattra Sangha in Mymensingh.[1][10][11][12][13] He was the chief organizer of the Al-Badr, a paramilitary force formed to assist the Pakistan army to thwart the Bangladesh independence movement in 1971, of greater Mymensingh region.[1][10][11][12][13][14] According to the Daily Sangram on 16 August 1971, Muhammad Kamruzzaman presided over a rally held at the local Muslim Institute in Mymensingh by the Al-Badr to mark the 25th independence day of Pakistan.[14][15]

Kamaruzzaman was a two-time President of Islami Chhatra Shibir the student wing of Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami.[13][16] He became a journalist at the weekly Sonar Bangla in 1981,[17] later taking the role of editor.[4] He also worked for The Daily Sangram as executive editor.[5]

In four successive elections between 1991 and 2008 Kamaruzzaman unsuccessfully contested the seat Sherpur-1 for Jamaat-e-Islami, losing the last three times to the Awami League candidate Md. Atiur Rahman Atik.[18]

Kamaruzzaman was charged with the following war crimes:[5]

• Killing of Badiuzzaman by Al-Badr, led by Kamaruzzaman on 29 June 1971.
• Torture of Lecturer Abdul Hannan by Kamaruzzaman and his associates in May 1971.
• Genocide of 120 men and rape of the women of the village Sohaghpur on 25 July 1971, planned and advised by Kamaruzzaman.
• Murder of Golam Mostafa by Al-Badr on Kamaruzzaman's orders on 23 August 1971.
• Killing of eight people from Chawkbazar by Al-Badr in presence of Kamaruzzaman at Sherpur in the middle of the Ramadan during the war.
• Repression of Didar and others in Mymensingh district in November 1971.
• Murder of five on the 27th day of Ramadan by the Al-Badr members following the orders of Kamaruzzaman.

The final arguments of the trial closed on 14 April 2013.[21] On 9 May 2013 the International Crimes Tribunal found him guilty on five out of the seven counts, including torture, genocide, killing, rape, looting, arson, and deportation of unarmed civilians during the 1971 Liberation war of Bangladesh and sentenced him to death by hanging on two of the charges.[1][22][23][24] Kamaruzzaman denied the charges saying the trial was politically motivated and appealed the verdict in the Supreme Court.[6] During the trial, Kamaruzzman had outbursts of anger and commented: "There is no instance in history that a higher secondary student has been tried for crimes against humanity."[7] The court upheld the death sentence on the charge of the Shohagpur genocide. He filed a review petition which was dismissed by the appellate division of the Supreme Court.[25]

Kamaruzzaman was executed on 11 April 2015 in Dhaka Central jail.[3]

In December 2012, conversations and emails between the judge and a Brussels-based lawyer were published, which according to The Economist revealed that the government wanted a quick verdict from the International Crimes Tribunal.[27] In response, an application was submitted on behalf of Kamaruzzaman for a retrial, which was rejected.[28] Following the revelations, the controversial chief Justice Nizamul Huq resigned from the post and Fazle Kabir was appointed there.[8]