Human rights body of the United Nations (UN) has called the Bangladesh government to halt execution of the Jamaat-e-Islami leader and convicted war criminal Muhammad Kamaruzzaman.
The UN Human Rights Office made the call on Wednesday. A statement was published by the office in UN headquarters.
“We urgently call on the government of Bangladesh to halt the execution of Muhammad Kamaruzzaman which is reportedly imminent, following the rejection of his appeal on Monday by the Supreme Court,” said Ravina Shamdasani, Spokesperson for the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights.
Kamaruzzaman was sentenced to death on charges of crimes against humanity in the 1971 Liberation War by the International Crimes Tribunal.
“The trial had irregularities and did not meet international fair trial standards that a International Crimes Tribunal has to follow,” said the spokesperson of UN.
The statement read, “The UN Human Rights Office has long warned that, given serious concerns about the fairness of trials conducted before the tribunal, the government of Bangladesh should not implement death penalty sentences.”
“The UN opposes death penalty, even in cases where fair trial standards appear to have been met and even for the most serious international crimes. We urge the Bangladesh Government to stop the inhumane act of death penalties and join the growing number of states that have abolished death penalties,” further added the UN spokesperson.
