The Jamaat-controlled International Crimes Tribunal-2 (ICT-2) on Wednesday ordered that Maulana Abul Kalam Azadโinfamously known as Bachchu Razakarโremain “as he is,” effectively allowing the death-row convict to stay free while his case proceeds to appeal. This follows the controversial acquittal and rapid political rehabilitation of another top Jamaat-e-Islami leader, ATM Azharul Islam, last year.
The three-member bench, led by Justice Nazrul Islam Chowdhury and including Justices Md. Manjurul Bashid and Noor Mohammad Shahriar Kabir issued the directive after Azad surrendered before the tribunal on January 21.
Azad, a former Jamaat-e-Islami member and televangelist, was convicted in absentia on January 21, 2013โthe tribunal’s maiden verdictโfor crimes against humanity during the 1971 war. He was found guilty on seven of eight charges, including the murder of 14 Hindus, rape of two women, torture of two others, arson, looting, and threats to witnesses in Faridpur district.
The 79-year-old Azad had been a fugitive since before the trial. He returned to Bangladesh with a Pakistani passport on March 13, 2025, after the political upheaval following the August 2024 changeover. In November 2024, he appeared in an interview with a YouTuber abroad for the first time in 14 years and hinted at his return to the country.
In July 2025, he applied to the Ministry of Home Affairs for suspension of his sentence under Section 401 of the Code of Criminal Procedure. On October 22, 2025, following a presidential order, the government stayed the execution for one year, directing him to surrender for appeal purposes.
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During the hearing, Azad’s lawyer, Md. Mashiul Alam argued that the sentence suspensionโissued on presidential authorityโshould be honoured, noting Azad’s advanced age and need for assistance to move. Initially, the tribunal ordered his imprisonment,t but later revised its stance, acknowledging the government’s suspension order and ruling that Azad would remain in his current status until the Appellate Division issues further directions. The tribunal clarified it would not grant bail, though Azad’s side stated they had not sought it. Certified copies of case documents were ordered to be provided for his appeal.
Azad left the tribunal premises in a private car after the proceedings.
This ruling comes amid accusations that the ICTโdescribed by critics as “Jamaat-controlled,” “illegal,” and “unconstitutional”โis being used to undermine past convictions against 1971 collaborators. The tribunal’s composition and decisions have drawn scrutiny since the interim government under Muhammad Yunus took power.
Proved Charges In Brief
During the first week of June 1971, Azad and his accomplices apprehended Ranjit Kumar Nath alias Babu Nath from Khabashpur in Faridpur town and took him to the Pakistani army camp at Faridpur Circuit House. After discussion with Pakistani Major Akram Koraishi and Ali Ahsan Mohammad Mojaheed, Ranjit was taken to a house at Bihari Colony, kept confined to a room there and tortured with the intent to kill, but he somehow escaped.
Jamaat leader Ali Ahsan Mohammad Mujahid was a top leader of Islami Chhatra Sangha, the then student wing of the Islamist party. On May 14, 1971, Azad, accompanied by 10-12 armed Razakars, attacked the village of Kolaran of Boalmari in Faridpur. There, he shot landlord Sudhangshu Mohan Roy and injured his son Monimoy Roy.
On May 16, 1971, Azad, accompanied by 10-12 armed Razakars, captured Madhab Chandra Biswas of Purura Namapara village of Nagarkanda in Faridpur, about 300 yards from his house. He shot Madhab to death. On June 8, 1971, Azad, along with 10-12 armed Razakars, attacked Natibodia village in Boalmari of Faridpur and took away two females from the house. He, along with four to five of his accomplices, raped them.
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On June 3, 1971, Azad, along with 10-12 armed Razakars, launched a planned attack on the Hindu-dominated village of Fulbaria of Nagarkanda in Faridpur and looted houses. Accompanied by seven-eight accomplices, Azad dragged out Chitta Ranjan Das from his house and shot him dead.
On May 17, 1971, Azad, accompanied by 30-35 armed Razakars, launched a planned attack on the Hindu-dominated Hasamdia village of Boalmari in Faridpur. They looted and burnt the houses of Hindu civilians and shot nine Hindus to death. On May 18, 1971, Azad, along with seven-eight armed Razakar,s attacked the house of Guru Das of Ujirpur Bazarpara of Saltha in Faridpur and abducted his daughter and tortured her, keeping her locked up for seven to eight days. The girl was released, but she committed suicide when the accomplices of Azad tried to take her again.
Parallel Case: ATM Azharul Islam’s Acquittal And Rise
The Azad development echoes the May 2025 acquittal of ATM Azharul Islam, a former Rangpur Al-Badr commander and senior Jamaat leader. Azhar was sentenced to death in 2014 for genocide, murder, rape, and torture, including the massacre of intellectuals and systematic attacks on Hindus. After the Appellate Division upheld the sentence in 2019, a seven-judge bench in May 2025 overturned both prior verdicts, acquitting him on all counts and labelling the original trials a “gross miscarriage of justice.”
Azhar walked free on May 28, 2025, and was swiftly reinstated in Jamaat’s hierarchy. On November 29, 2025, he was sworn in as Nayeb-e-Ameer (Deputy Chief), second only to Ameer Shafiqur Rahman. In a November 28 rally speech, Azhar rejected accusations of anti-independence sentiment, claiming Jamaat as the true guardian of Bangladesh’s sovereignty and mocking ousted leader Sheikh Hasina.
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Critics, including freedom fighters and secular groups, condemned the acquittal as revisionist and a betrayal of the 1971 sacrifices. Reports highlighted the interim government’s silence, with some institutions allegedly influenced by Jamaat sympathisers, including judicial appointments and prosecutorial roles.
The tribunal was established in 2010 under the Awami League government to prosecute 1971 atrocities, resulting in convictions of several Jamaat leaders. Trials faced international criticism for procedural issues but were defended as necessary for national healing.
Post-2024 changes, including the lifting of Jamaat’s ban in June 2025, have enabled its electoral resurgence ahead of the February 2026 polls. Observers warn that these developmentsโfreeing or rehabilitating convicted or accused war criminalsโrisk eroding accountability for the war’s estimated 3 million deaths and 200,000 rapes.
Pro-minority and liberation war groups have protested, demanding independent retrials and safeguards. As one veteran freedom fighter stated in recent reports, the dream remains a “Razakar-free Bangladesh.”
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