Dhaka: More than five years after the Appellate Division of the Bangladesh Supreme Court upheld the death sentence of ‘Razakar’ ATM Azharul Islam for crimes against humanity during ‘Operation Searchlight’ launched in East Pakistan by the Pakistan Army in 1971, it overturned its own judgement and set the Jamaat-e-Islami leader free on Tuesday.
According to political observers, this speaks volumes of the present situation in Bangladesh. Former Bangladesh prime minister Sk Hasina has already accused the interim government in the country, headed by Muhammad Yunus, of letting loose Islamic extremists on the streets in a bid to remain in power.
Azharul was arrested in 2012 and found guilty of killing 1,256 people, abducting 17, and raping 13 women in collaboration with the Pakistan Army. He was designated a terrorist for his involvement in genocide, detention, torture, grievous injury, looting, and arson and convicted on six counts by the International Crimes Tribunal (ICT) in December 2014.
Azharul was sentenced to death on 3 counts and imprisonment on 2 counts of crime against humanity. His death penalty was upheld by the Appellate Division of the Supreme Court in October 2019.
However in February this year, the Supreme Court of Bangladesh allowed Azharul to file a fresh appeal to challenge the guilty verdict. The same Appellate Division, which earlier upheld the conviction and death sentence acquitted Azharul on Tuesday (May 27, 2025).
His counsel Gazi M H Tamim has said: “Since this case came to appeal stage from a review, there is no higher court in Bangladesh or any international forum beyond this.”
The crimes committed by Azharul coincided with ‘Operation Searchlight’, launched by the Pakistan Army between March 26 and May 25, 1971. His crimes were concentrated in the Rangpur Division of Bangladesh and extended well until the end of the Bangladesh Liberation War.
According to the ICT, Azharul attacked Moksedpur village on April 16, 1971 and was involved in the killings of unarmed civilians, plundering homes and setting them ablaze. He was accompanied by Pakistan Aarmy personnel and other Jamaat-e-Islami terrorists.
A day later, Azharul carried out attacks sytemetically in Hindu-dominated villages and killing over 1200 people near Jharuarbeel. He was involved in abudction, arson, murder and large scale genocide.
“He along with Pakistani troops raided the Rangpur Carmichael College along with Pakistani forces, abducted four Hindu Professors and one of their wives. All five victims were brutally murdered. The incident occured on 30th April 1971. Azharul ran a ‘rape camp’ in Rangpur between March and December 1971, where he abducted, confined, tortured and repeatedly raped his victims,” the ICT had confirmed.
He was also involved in assault, abduction and torture (causing permanent diability) of the brother of a youth who chanted ‘Joy Bangla’ between Novemeber and December 1971. In 1971, he was the president (Rangpur Division) of Islami Chhatra Sangha.
After Yunus took over, he revoked the ban on the radical Islamist outfit ‘Jamaat-e-Islami.’ he then released the leader of the radical outfit ‘Ansarullah Bangla Team (ABT) Muhammad Jasimuddin Rahmani.
