Bangladesh News

Condemned Jama’atul Mujahideen Bangladesh (JMB) military commander Ataur Rahman Sunny submitted a special prayer to the jail authorities for filing leave to appeal yesterday, four days after he said that he would not appeal against the death penalty.

The prayer came three days after the expiry of the seven-day stipulated time, following reading out of the warrant for execution to the convicts, for filing leave to appeal prayer against the death sentence.

With Sunny’s prayer, five of the seven condemned JMB men have already appealed against the death sentence. Of the seven, Arif is on the run.

Meantime, the prisons authorities said the other JMB convict, Abdul Awal, has informed them that he would also appeal. “Maybe we’ll get his prayer by tonight,” Inspector General (IG) of Prisons Brigadier General Zakir Hasan told The Daily Star last night.

The stipulated seven-day time for Awal to file leave to appeal also expired last Friday.

Sunny and Awal, both members of Majlish-e-Shura [top policymaking body of the banned outfit], are now in Dhaka Central Jail (DCJ).

Sunny, brother of JMB chief Abdur Rahman, submitted an application for filing leave to appeal to the DCJ authorities yesterday.

As yesterday was a public holiday, the jail authorities could not send it to the Supreme Court (SC) and will do so today.

The IG prisons said, “If we get Awal’s prayer by tonight, we’ll send both the prayers to the SC tomorrow.”

As the time for submitting leave to appeal petition against the death penalty ended Friday, it is now up to the SC whether it would accept Sunny and Awal’s applications as prayers for leave to appeal.

All the top JMB leaders, after their capture, repeatedly said on different occasions that they would not accept trial and verdict under Taguti [non-Islamic] laws and by any worldly court. They also said on several occasions that they would not appeal against the death penalties.

The SC Registrar has already directed the jail authorities to stay the execution of Majlish-e-Shura members Rahman, Bangla Bhai and Khaled Saifullah and suicide bomber Iftekhar Al Mamun.