The prosecution has announced it will appeal seeking the death penalty for Sheikh Hasina and Asaduzzaman Khan Kamal in the charges for which they were sentenced to imprisonment until death for crimes against humanity.
Prosecutor Advocate Mizanul Islam, who holds the rank of additional attorney general, confirmed the decision on Thursday.
He said the tribunal had not imposed the death penalty for the charges in question, and the prosecution believes this was not the correct decision. The verdict itself is accurate, he said, but the sentence is not.
For that reason, the prosecution will appeal to seek the death penalty for the two accused in the charge that resulted in imprisonment until death.
Mizanul Islam said the prosecution believes widespread killings took place in the country due to the instigation of Sheikh Hasina. Thousands of people were injured, many became permanently disabled, many lost their eyesight, and some suffered fractured skulls. Under the International Crimes Tribunal Act, the punishment for such offences is death, he said, and this is what they believe should have been imposed.
Although the tribunal handed down the death penalty for other charges, he said the two accused should also have received the death penalty for this charge.
The International Crimes Tribunal-1 delivered its verdict on 17 November in the case against Hasina and two others for crimes against humanity. In that ruling, Hasina and Kamal were sentenced to death, while their associate Mamun received a reduced sentence of five years for turning state witness and assisting the court with information that helped establish justice.
Hasina and Kamal were tried in absentia as both are absconding. The verdict states that all five charges brought by the prosecution against Hasina, Kamal and Mamun were proven.
The court accepted the first, second and third charges together, sentencing Hasina and Kamal to imprisonment until death on those charges. The fourth and fifth charges were merged, and on that combined charge the tribunal sentenced Hasina and Kamal to death.
