Abul Kalam Azad, who was sentenced to death by the International Crimes Tribunal for crimes against humanity committed in 1971, surrendered on Wednesday morning.
The fugitive convict had been absconding for a long time after receiving the death sentence, sources said.
On 21 January 2013, Justice Obaidul Hassan, chairman of ICT‑2, handed down the death sentence to Abul Kalam. In 2025 he appealed to the Ministry of Home Affairs seeking suspension of his sentence under Section 401 of the Code of Criminal Procedure.
During the 1971 Liberation War, a total of eight charges of crimes against humanity were brought against him. He was found guilty in seven of them. He received death sentences on three charges. Although the tribunal had scope to impose imprisonment on four charges, it refrained from doing so since the death penalty was already awarded. One charge was dismissed as the prosecution failed to prove it.
The tribunal found Abul Kalam, also known as Bachchu Razakar, guilty of killing 14 Hindus, raping three women, abducting nine individuals, detaining 10 others, setting fire to five houses, and looting valuables from 15 houses during the Liberation War.
The verdict against Abul Kalam, 65, marked the first judgment delivered in a war crimes case. However, as he was absconding, it was not possible to produce him before the tribunal. Law enforcement agencies reported that he fled to Pakistan via India before an arrest warrant could be issued against him.
On 26 December 2012, the judicial proceedings concluded with the presentation of arguments from both sides in the case filed against Abul Kalam.
