Secretary General of Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami and former Member of Parliament Mia Golam Porwar reacting to the death penalty verdict delivered by the International Crimes Tribunal against former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and former Home Minister Asaduzzaman Khan Kamal, said:

“The trial was conducted transparently, impartially, and according to international standards. This verdict fulfills the expectations of 180 million people of Bangladesh. The nation has received justice. Although the victims have not been fully compensated through this verdict, they have attained some relief,” he remarked.

He made these comments during a press briefing held today (Monday, 17 November) at 3 PM at the central office of Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami, while giving an immediate reaction to the verdict in Sheikh Hasina’s case.

Among others, Assistant Secretary Generals Maulana ATM Masum, Dr. Hamidur Rahman Azad (former MP), Maulana Abdul Halim, Central Executive Council member Mobarak Hossain, and Ameer of Dhaka North City Muhammad Selim Uddin. The program was hosted by Jamaat-e-Islami's Assistant Secretary General and head of Central Publicity and Media Department Advocate Ahsanul Mahboob Zubair.

Mia Golam Porwar said, “Today’s verdict by the Tribunal will remain a landmark in the judicial and political history of Bangladesh. For the first time in the country, a head of government has received the highest punishment. This verdict proves that no person in power—whether in government or the state—stands above the law. The autocratic government of Sheikh Hasina has killed more than fourteen hundred people and grievously injured around forty thousand. Many of them have been permanently disabled, and numerous students and civilians lost their eyes, hands, or feet. They had been awaiting justice for a long time—today, that expectation has been fulfilled.”

He further said, “The speedy trial of all crimes committed by the fascist Sheikh Hasina government—such as the Pilkhana massacre, the Shapla massacre, enforced disappearances, the ‘Aynaghar’ torture cells, and killings through crossfire—is also the expectation of the nation. Inshallah, these cases will be concluded quickly. While the judges were reading out the verdict, the people learned how cruel, vindictive, and retaliatory Sheikh Hasina’s orders of killing had been.”

Regarding the trials of Jamaat leaders, he said, “The top leaders of Jamaat-e-Islami were executed based on fabricated and politically motivated cases, and testimonies arranged by party loyalists. Those trials were neither free, fair, impartial, nor internationally credible; they were questioned everywhere, at home and abroad. The most painful fact is that we will never get back the Jamaat leaders who were executed following false testimonies, and other scandals and controversies including the Skype scandal, and verdicts written from abroad.”

He further noted that the acquittal of Jamaat’s former Acting Secretary General ATM Azharul Islam by the Supreme Court proves that the earlier verdicts against Jamaat leaders were politically motivated, unjust, and a complete mockery of justice.

He alleged that, centering today’s verdict, terrorists of the banned Awami League have declared a shutdown and are trying to create chaos across the country through crude bomb and cocktail attacks and arson. However, in the face of strong resistance from the general masses, they have failed to stand their ground anywhere. The fascist Awami League has no moral right to conduct politics in this country. Abducting witnesses from court premises and killing leaders is their legacy.

Regarding the role of the neighboring country, he said, “Our neighbor India has taken a position against justice by sheltering the fugitive death-row convict Sheikh Hasina and her accomplices. We call upon India to return Sheikh Hasina to Bangladesh in compliance with international law and norms so she may be handed over through the legal process.”