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Bangladesh executes Islamist party chief Nizami convicted of war crimes

Xinhua, May 11, 2016 Adjust font size:

Bangladesh on Wednesday executed Islamist party chief Motiur Rahman Nizami, convicted of war crimes in 1971 during the country's war of independence.

The Bangladesh authorities has ordered to execute death row war criminal Motiur Rahman Nizami as the Islamist party chief chose not to seek presidential pardon.

Home Minister Asaduzzaman Khan told the press on Tuesday night that "the order for his execution has been given as he had not asked for presidential mercy."

About half an hour before this formal announcement, Nizami's family members walked into the Dhaka Central Jail to meet the death row war criminal for the last time as the authorities completed preparations to hang the war criminal.

Security has been beefed up in and around the Dhaka Central Jail, where 74-year old Nizami has been kept. Nizami served as agriculture and industries minister in former prime minister Khaleda Zia's 2001-2006 cabinet.

Apart of tightening security measures, paramilitary troops have been deployed in the Bangladeshi capital of Dhaka to thwart any untoward incident in the wake of the execution.

Bangladesh's apex court on May 5 rejected Nizami's final legal appeal against the death sentence given to him by a special tribunal in October, 2014.

Nizami is among the top Jamaat leaders who have been tried in two war crimes tribunals which Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina's Bangladesh Awami League-led government formed in 2010 to bring the perpetrators of 1971 to book.

Nizami was convicted of abduction, torture and mass murder as one of the key leader of a pro-Pakistan militia. Endit