Dhaka, Jan 21 (V7N) — Maulana Abul Kalam Azad, a fugitive war crimes convict sentenced to death for crimes against humanity committed during the 1971 Liberation War, surrendered before the tribunal on Wednesday morning (January 21).

Azad appeared before the International Crimes Tribunal-2 (ICT-2) to formally surrender, following a conditional suspension of his death sentence approved by the government.

On January 21, 2013, the then chairman of ICT-2, Justice Obaidul Hasan, sentenced Azad to death after finding him guilty of crimes against humanity. He had remained absconding since the verdict.

Last year, Abul Kalam Azad submitted an application to the Ministry of Home Affairs seeking suspension of his sentence. In response, the government issued an order suspending the execution of the death sentence for one year, on the condition that he surrenders to the court and files an appeal.

An official order in this regard was issued by the Prison-2 branch of the Home Ministry on October 22, 2025, confirming the conditional suspension.

According to tribunal records, eight charges were brought against Abul Kalam Azad for atrocities committed during the Liberation War. He was found guilty on seven charges, while one charge was dismissed due to lack of sufficient evidence.

Although the tribunal could have imposed three separate death sentences and four terms of imprisonment for the proven charges, it awarded a single death sentence, stating that additional sentences were unnecessary once capital punishment had been imposed.

Further legal proceedings will now depend on the appeal process following his surrender.

END/SMA/AJ