Four of the five imprisoned condemned convicts in Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman assassination case, verbally expressed their willingness to seek presidential clemency, said Dhaka Central Jail officials.
Meanwhile, families of three of the five met them in the jail yesterday for the first time since their appeals against the convictions and death sentences had been rejected by the Appellate Division of Supreme Court on Thursday.
Towhidul Islam, senior superintendent of Dhaka Central Jail, told The Daily Star that Lt Col Syed Farooq Rahman, Maj Bazlul Huda, Maj AKM Mohiuddin Ahmed, and Lt Col Mohiuddin Ahmed verbally expressed their willingness to file petitions for presidential clemency, while Lt Col Sultan Shahriar Rashid Khan has yet to come to a decision on the matter.
Families of Huda, Shahriar, and AKM Mohiuddin, visited them in the death row of Dhaka Central Jail, Towhidul added.
Jail sources said Huda’s two sisters Mahfuza Begum and Firoza Begum, and one of his nieces talked to him for about half an hour. But his wife Nafiza Huda could not enter the jail as she had fallen sick at the jail gate.
Shahriar’s wife Masowara Khan, son Ashrafur Rashid, daughter Shahnaz Rashid, and his two sisters met him for over half an hour. Mahiuddin’s wife Hosneara Mahiuddin met him for about 10 minutes, the sources added.
According to the sources, the five condemned convicts are confined in separate death row cells in a one-storey building named of Rajanigandha which houses eight cells, adjacent to the gallows.
Towhidul said the families of the convicts were taken to the death row instead of bringing the convicts out to the jail gate due to security concerns. The families had to meet the convicts from the other side of the cell bars in presence of personnel from different intelligence agencies including the Directorate of Field Intelligence, and National Security Intelligence. Only one family was allowed at a time into the death row.
According to witnesses, during the visits, the families burst into tears wailing, while the condemned cried silently with tears rolling down their cheeks. The families declined to talk to the media following the visits.
Deputy Inspector General (DIG-Prisons) Golam Haider told The Daily Star, “We have informed the convicts about the final verdict of the court and asked them to express their positions regarding filing of presidential clemency petitions within seven days of the verdict.”
“So far four of them verbally informed us about their desire to file the petitions. There are still five more days remaining, they might also reconsider their decisions, and the others also have the time to inform us about their willingness,” he added.
The DIG said no lawyer of any convict has yet visited their clients in the jail.
The Supreme Court on Thursday upheld the High Court decision in the case. The High Court earlier upheld the death sentences of 12 of the original 15 convicts, acquitting the other three.
Six condemned convicts in the case are currently absconding, they are Lt Col Khandaker Abdur Rashid, Lt Col Shariful Haque Dalim, Lt Col SHMB Nur Chowdhury, Lt Col AM Rashed Chowdhury, Capt Abdul Mazed, and Risaldar Moslehuddin Khan.
Another convict Lt Col Abdul Aziz Pasha already died in Zimbabwe in June 2001 where he had taken political asylum.
Execution of the jailed condemned five will not take place until their review and mercy petitions are adjudicated, defence counsels told The Daily Star.
The counsels, Khan Saifur Rahman, Abdur Razaque Khan, and Abdullah-Al Mamun said they already informed the Supreme Court and the government authorities that their clients will file petitions for review of the apex court’s judgement, after getting the full text.
Chief state counsel in the case, Anisul Huq said the government will not proceed with the executions until the review petitions are adjudicated.
In the meantime, the Supreme Court Bar Association (SCBA) yesterday urged the government to publish a white paper on the beneficiaries of Bangabandhu murder, and on those who provided shelter to the killers.
SCBA made the appeal from its general meeting with its President AFM Mesbahuddin in the chair.
Leaders of the association also urged the government to immediately bring the absconding convicts back to the country.
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