Dhaka, Bangladesh (BBN)-Bangladesh Supreme Court on Wednesday commuted the death penalty awarded to Delawar Hossain Sayedee and sentenced him imprisonment untill death for his crimes against humanity during the Liberation War of the country in 1971.
The fresh verdict was pronounced by the five-member Appellate Division bench of the apex court headed by Chief Justice Md Muzammel Hossain in response to an appeal petition filed by Sayedee, challenging the verdict of the War Crimes Tribunal.
The International Crimes Tribunal-1 on February 28 last year, sentenced Sayedee to death for killing Ibrahim Kutti and one Bisabali in Pirojpur in 1971, even though it had found him guilty on eight charges filed against him.
The Appellate Division commuted the capital punishment on three counts of crimes, including killing Bisabali and setting fire on houses at Hindu Para of Umedpur (charge 10), abduction, confinement and rape of Mohamaya, Anno Rani and Komol Rani (charge 16) and forced conversion of members of the Hindu community of Pirojpur (charge 19).
BBN/JF/AS-17Sept14-10:20am (BST)