A five-member team of defence lawyers will meet the convicted war criminal and Jamaat leader Mohammad Kamaruzzaman inside the Dhaka Central Jail on Thursday morning.Advocate Mohammad Shishir Monir, a defence lawyer of Kamaruzzaman, told the Daily Observer on Wednesday night.
Monir said another defence lawyer Advocate Tamim submitted an application to the jail authorities on behalf of them seeking an appointment to meet with Kamaruzzaman.
"His application was accepted. A senior jail official told the Daily Observer that they would arrange the meeting in the morning," he said.
On the other hand, Inspector General of Prisons Brigadier General Syed Iftekhar Uddin said, "A five-member delegation of defence lawyers applied for visiting the death row convict Kamaruzzaman on Wednesday evening."
"The jail authorities approved their plea around 8pm. They will meet the Jamaat leader around 10am on Thursday," he said.
Advocate Shishir Monir further said the rumours which were rife that he (Kamaruzzaman) would be executed at sometime on Wednesday night is "totally baseless and it has also no legal basis."
"Since the Supreme Court has not passed any judgement formally, and the copies of judgement is yet to be received by Kamaruzzaman, the verdict cannot be executed in any way tonight (Wednesday night)," he said.
He also brushed aside the "emotion-driven rumour."
When asked whether Kamaruzzaman would plead for mercy to the President, Advocate Shishir Monir said the question about president's mercy would arise only after publishing the full verdict and resolving the review petition.
He said: "Both the Law Minister and Attorney General gave wrong explanation of law saying that there are no scopes left for reviewing the judgement. It is beyond their jurisdiction to take initiatives for execution of the verdict before publishing the full judgement and resolving the review petition."
Advocate Shishir Monir also observed that their remarks would influence the court's final decision.
Earlier in the day, Law Minister Anisul Haq said he ordered the jail authorities to take the necessary preparations in order to execute Kamaruzzaman.
He said: "As per the jail code, I have asked the jail authorities to take preparations. As we have the apex court order, there is no bar to execute him before getting the copy of the full verdict."
On May 9 last year, International Crimes Tribunal awarded death sentence to Kamaruzzaman for committing heinous crimes against humanity. He appealed against the judgement after a month.
On Monday, Appellate Division of the Supreme Court sentenced Kamaruzzaman to death for crimes against humanity committed during the 1971 Liberation War.
Kamaruzzaman, the senior assistant secretary general of Jamaat-e-Islami, will get seven days to seek the presidential clemency, said the law minister in a press briefing.
The family members of condemned war criminal Mohammad Kamaruzzaman have met with him at Dhaka Central Jail earlier in the day.
A total of 10 members, including his wife, four sons, one daughter, brother, sister and maternal aunt entered the jail gate around 10:25am and came out around 11:20am after meeting with Kamaruzzaman.
The Appellate Division of the Supreme Court on Monday upheld the tribunal verdict that had awarded death sentence to Jamaat-e-Islami assistant secretary general for committing crimes against humanity during the Liberation War in 1971.
On Tuesday, M Kamaruzzaman was shifted to Dhaka Central Jail from Kashimpur Jail in Gazipur.
ZA