Khan Akram Hossain, who had been jailed until death for crimes against humanity committed during the Liberation War of 1971, has been acquitted by the Supreme Court.
The Appellate Division delivered the verdict on Thursday, Prosecutor Faruk Ahmed confirmed to Times of Bangladesh.
He said, “Khan Akram’s appeal has been accepted, and he has been acquitted.”
On Wednesday, the Appellate Division led by Chief Justice Zubayer Rahman Chowdhury fixed 26 February (Thursday) for the announcement of the verdict. Chief Prosecutor Md Aminul Islam represented the prosecution during the hearing.
Akram, a resident of Bagerhat, was arrested in June 2014 following an order of the International Crimes Tribunal. On 11 August 2015, the tribunal sentenced him to imprisonment until death. He later appealed against the verdict.
The prosecution accused him of committing crimes against humanity in different areas of Bagerhat during the 1971 war. The ICT judgment stated that Akram was found guilty on one of the three charges brought against him.
He was accused of killing 42 people at Shankharikathi Bazaar in Kachua upazila of Bagerhat, along with looting and arson. This atrocity is known as the Shankharikathi massacre.
The trial process for crimes against humanity during the Liberation War began in 2009, when a local resident, Nimai Chandra Das, filed a case in the Bagerhat court against 20 to 30 people, including Akram, an alleged Razakar, and Abdul Latif Talukder.
