The International Crimes Tribunal-1 (ICT-1) on Wednesday awarded death penalty to Jamaat-e-Islami Ameer Motiur Rahman Nizami for his crimes against humanity during the 1971 Liberation War.

The three members ICT-1, led by chairman Justice M Enayetur Rahim, pronounced the verdict.

The tribunal found him guilty in eight out of 16 charges. Of the eight charges, Nizami has been to death penalty for four charges while life term imprisonment for the other charges. 

Earlier in the morning, he has been taken to the tribunal from Dhaka Central Jail around 9:20am.

Justice Anwarul Haque, a panel member of the three-member ICT-1, began reading out the summary of the 204-page verdict against NIzami around 11:10am.

Nizami was brought to Dhaka from Gazipur's Kahsimpur Central Jail on Tuesday night as the ICT-1 fixed today for the verdict.

Earlier, the tribunal fixed June 24 for Nizami's verdict but it later deferred due to his sudden illness.

Nizami was arrested on June 29, 2010, in a case filed in connection with hurting religious sentiments of the Muslims.

On December 11, 2011, the prosecution submitted the formal charge against Nizami before the tribunal.

On May 28, 2012, the tribunal indicted the Jamaat ameer for committing the 1971 crimes against humanity.

Nizami was sentenced to death in January this year for his role in the sensational 10-truck arms haul in Chittagong in 2004.

TF